UK households urged to ‘seal all doors and windows’ this week
UK households are being urged to seal doors and windows this week after the Met Office issued its latest forecast.
An air conditioning expert is urging UK households to seal up all gaps around doors and windows as another heatwave bakes the country this week.
The Met Office is forecasting temperatures will soar as high as 30C this week - and could even hit ‘mid 30Cs’ by Monday, according to its latest hot weather predictions. It means that many of us will be sweating and sweltering, desperately looking for ways to keep rooms cool in the hot sunny conditions. According to Andrews Air Conditioning, one of the best ways to keep your house cool in a heatwave is to seal gaps around doors and windows.
This might sound counterintuitive, as it reduces airflow, but in times of very hot weather, the air outside your house is actually warmer than the air inside it. Therefore, any gaps - and in older houses especially there are usually quite a few gaps - will let in hot air that will heat up your home.
Carl Webb, Group Managing Director of Andrews Air Conditioning, said: “Spells of hot, dry weather are a common feature of summer in the UK but for many people they can bring discomfort and increased risk of health issues.
“Keeping your home cool is important to provide a haven from soaring temperatures outside and prevent heat-related problems such as sleep disruption and illness.
“Climate control equipment such as air conditioning and evaporative coolers can make a huge difference, but not everyone has access to it.
“However, there are ways you can prevent your home from retaining too much heat and some don’t cost any money at all.”
The best way to tackle this is with draught excluders at the bottom of doors, and the use of sealant or caulk around windowframe gaps.
The firm said: “Seal gaps around doors and windows. Warm air can enter your home through even the smallest gaps so it’s advised to seal gaps.
“Draught excluders at the bottom of doors can be a useful and cheap way to keep cool air in and keep warm air out.”
The company also backs up common advice about closing windows that face the sun. It adds: “It can be particularly uncomfortable if a mass of hot, stuffy air is trapped in your home and you might not know if you should open your windows or not.
“It’s best to keep them closed on the side of the house facing the sun but open them on the opposite side.
“This way, you can ensure a supply of fresh air can circulate through your home without heating it up.”
And finally, the firm says that insulation can actually help cool your house down. Most of us think of insulation as a way to wrap up warm against the cold, but insulation also creates a ‘thermal barrier’ that blocks warm air from entering in the summer, too.
The firm said: “Adequate insulation in areas such as walls, roofs and floors is an important part of climate control in our homes both in hot weather and cold. The thermal barrier can prevent heat from leaving your home during winter and keep it from entering during summer.”
