While summer is a season of enjoyment, it is also something that brings scorching heat with it. We are all familiar with the fact that summers are a season of rising temperatures which means the temperature keeps getting hotter and by the peak we are bound to turn our air conditioners on and be ready to spend ridiculous amounts on the bills. There are many people out there who either cannot afford or have no access to air conditioning. Therefore, having knowledge on how to get through hot and sticky evenings or extreme heat waves is essential in such scenarios.
In situations where heat waves are intense, we look towards ways of cooling our homes and that isn’t difficult as there are a few tips which make it possible. However, the first step is to not panic and when the scorching weather comes around, calmly follow the multiple tips we are about to provide in this article.
Here are a few simple techniques that can help you and your flat remain cool:
1) Enclose Those Curtains!
If you are an individual who opens their windows in an attempt to embrace the light and let the sun warm their homes, you may have to rethink that. Its common sense: if you reside in a place where the sun shines like an inferno during the summer, your approach will have to adjust as well. If you do not want your air conditioning usage to rise, and want your house to not overheat, you will have to keep the blinds and curtains closed throughout the day.
2) Cool the Roof
Roof gardens can create a cooler environment which will appeal to many top floor apartment dwellers. One way to accomplish this is to grow a terrace garden, which acts as a natural vegetation cover. But first, waterproofing the roof is necessary to prevent later problems with seeping. Reflective paints are also helpful in providing the necessary thermal insulation.
3) Use a Dehumidifier
So you can’t afford a dehumidifier because it is still hot and humid? Imagine the amount you will sweat and then what would happen to your clothes as well! They say that seeing means believing, in fact even in a hot environment a dehumidifier can still be useful in keeping you dry.
4) Unplug Unused Appliances
Connect anything with a socket and a pin to the power source and it sounds an alarm, or heat up. Therefore, all unused extensions of equipment should be disconnected during the hours when they are not utilized. All that tiny red pin lights which stare at you while at rest, at night, merely signifies that the device isn’t operational but can be deadly onscreen. Please note that vibrating an object isn’t the same as turning the device off.
5) Embrace Indoor Potting Plants
Home gardening adds happiness and beauty to a home. It aids in reducing the temperature of the house through assimilating carbon dioxide and excreting oxygen. Besides, plants also transpire which releases moisture into the air making the surrounding air cool, fresh, and healthy. To counter effectively solar radiation, grow Aloe vera, baby rubber plant, golden pothos, snake plants, among others on the eastern and western sides of the building.
6. Cross Ventilation
Cross ventilation helps create a lovely setting inside your home. Simply open two windows that are in extreme ends of the house. Opening windows to let air move freely around the house is the most basic and convenient way of keeping cool. This in return helps reduce the warmth in the house. You won’t believe how much cooler it would get!
7. Switch To High Efficiency LEDs/CFLs
We advise covering windows while you attempt to cool your house as windows trap heat. The kind of bulbs you use will largely determine the amount of heat generated by the bulbs. Incandescent bulbs create light through generating heat and use almost 90% of the energy indeed and all that does is crank up your electricity bills while generating an enormous blistering heat. This is why it is essential to switch off these incandescent lights and if you really need to use lights consider using them in areas where lights are essential. You could also consider replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs and CFLs that consume less power.
8) Get Rid of Clutter
Even if it appears to be paradoxical, a crowded space is not only obnoxious but also hinders the proper circulation of air within the ambience. Go for a minimalist design and only save what is strictly necessary: discard all items that clutter the area and create a sense of closed-in-ness. Clean up a little, open the windows, and use light jute/cotton rugs/carpets instead of heavy woolen ones to make the room feel brighter and more spacious.
9) A Shift Towards Natural Light-Textured Fabrics
Heat tends to be absorbed easily by satin silk, leather and polyesters. Opt of using cotton and linen-upholstered furniture as well as beddings. Opting for light-weight air-o porous and breathable fabrics can support circulation of air and allow room for movement. They can also assist in making a dreary room seem more inviting in a matter of seconds. White fabric covers on furniture will prevent them from absorbing too much heat. These covers will reflect back the light. Some say that it takes in less rays from sun. Thus, the furniture and the interior of the house do not heat up as much.
10) Keep Your Ceiling Fan in Good Use
Did you have any clue that there exists a right and wrong way of using your ceiling fan? A small switch in the lower part of your ceiling carries the power that controls the fans’ direction of airflow. This technique may assist in eliminating the heat in the room. In turn, you will feel better. Rather than blowing a hot air towards you, this method of changing the direction of the blades will push the air to the ceiling. It does not cool down the room, but it increases the level of evaporative cooling that the skin produces thus making the feeling of warmth less prominent.
11) Use The Air Outside at Night Time
Summer nights are often much cooler than the afternoons. Use this to your advantage by opening the windows just before sleeping. For security purposes in apartments, windows may not be left open while sleeping, however, measures can be taken for instance putting grills or the top windows being open.
12) Lighter color shades
Because of the hot and dry weather of the summer, it’s a perfect time to do some wall painting. For fun and festive decorations for your house that will keep it looking new each year, consider pastel yellow, aqua, millennial pink, beige, and even white. Also, the painting of your property will give you a chance to check your walls and prepare for the humid weather that will come after the dry summer.
Summing Up
By combining these passive cooling techniques, not only can you cut your expenses, but you can also be environmentally friendly and energy efficient. What do you think of the tips? Are there any of the tips that you would want to implement this summer? And, if we left out any points, let us know so we can add them in.
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