How to cool a room without air conditioning - 5 best tips to beat the heat today
TEMPERATURES are expected to reach 30C in the UK today and Brits are already struggling to sleep in the heat. Here are five ways to cool a room without air conditioning.
BBC Weather: Heatwave conditions forecast to continue
Air conditioning isn’t common in UK homes because it’s very expensive to install and we’d only use it for a few months of the year. Aircon costs around £1,000 to install per unit… so you’d spend thousands kitting out an entire home plus running costs. Thankfully, there are ways to cool down a room in the summer without investing in air conditioning. Express.co.uk chatted to the temperature specialists at Stelrad to find out the five crucial steps to keeping your home as cool as possible.
Put a bowl of ice in front of a fan
If you’ve got a fan, no matter how cheap it is you can enhance its powers with a bowl of ice.
The experts at Stelrad instructed: “Simply put a bowl bucket or even Tupperware filled with ice water directly in front of a fan.
“Alternatively, a wet flannel or small, damp towel placed over a fan works just as well.”
This hack works because as the ice melts the breeze from the fan will pick up the cool air coming from the ice’s surface.
The melting ice or wet flannel combined with the fan will recreate a cool breeze, similar to an air conditioning unit.
READ MORE- The 11 most common causes of raised blood pressure in hot weather
Keep curtains and blinds closed during the day
Your instinct might be to let the sunshine into your room during the day, but don’t!
The experts said: “On a gorgeous sunny day it’s natural to want to see the sun and have it shining in through your windows.
“However, doing this will heat up your surroundings, similar to a greenhouse!”
Keep your blinds and curtains closed until the sun goes down.
Open windows once the day gets cooler
You might be tempted to open the windows to let the air in and cool the room down, but this theory makes no sense.
Keep the windows closed all day and wait until the temperature drops in the evening to open the windows.
The experts said: “Windows should be kept closed when the day is at its hottest, but once the heat starts to drop they can be opened to let in the cool evening breeze.
“Temperatures fall considerably at night, so opening a window in the evening if it is safe to do so will allow cool air to circulate around the house – it should help you sleep better, too.”
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Treat yourself to some new houseplants
House plants aren’t only trendy and lovely to look at, they will help to regulate the temperature indoors.
The experts at Stelrad said: “Indoor plants can help cool a house in warm weather, as they consume hot air for their natural processes.
“When an atmosphere heats up, plants will often release excess water into the air from their leaves – as a result, they cool themselves and the surrounding environment.
Some of the best plants for this purpose are rubber plants, Chinese evergreens, palms, mother-in-law’s tongues and ficus benjamina.
Turn off the lights
Whether it’s day or night, try to keep your lights switched off as much as possible.
The experts said: “As you might remember from your secondary school science classes, light bulbs give off heat.
“It’s best to avoid any sort of extra light or heat sources when the temperature is already scorching! Plus, you’ll save money on the electric bill - it’s a win-win!”