HEAT WEATHER - In summer, you are inevitably tempted to crank up the air conditioning or spend the day in front of your fan. But there are other ways to stay cool. In fact, there are plenty of ways to protect your home from the heat without blowing up your electricity bill. Plus, you'll feel like a DIY ace!
To avoid heatstroke, here are some tips:
1. Leave the shutters closed
It may sound silly, but according to Family Handyman magazine, up to 30% of excess heat comes from our windows. Blinds, curtains and the like can save up to 7% electricity and lower the indoor temperature by almost 10°C. In other words, by closing your shutters, you will avoid making your house a veritable greenhouse, especially if your windows face west or south.
2. Know when to open and close your doors
At the hottest times of the day, closing rooms prevents cool air from spreading inside. It is also important to take advantage of the coolness of the night by letting the air circulate naturally in the house.
Advertising3. Tinkering with a system instead of putting on the air conditioning
Even the air conditioning cannot reproduce the delicious feeling of a gentle sea breeze. But this simple trick, yes! Fill a bowl with ice cubes (or place something very cold in it, like a block of ice) and place it at an angle in front of a large fan so that air blows over the ice, producing a freezing temperature and a feeling of chill. 'humidity. Believe us, the result is miraculous.
4. Opt for summer sheets
Changing your bed linen according to the season gives a new look to a bedroom, but it is also a very effective solution to avoid overheating. If flannel sheets and fleece blankets are wonderfully insulating, we prefer cotton, which keeps cool and lets the skin breathe at this time of year. By the way, treat yourself to a buckwheat pillow or two. Even packed in a pillowcase, their pods naturally allow air to pass through and retain less body heat.
Advertising5. Reverse the direction of rotation of your ceiling fan
You may not know it, but a ceiling fan adjusts according to the season. In summer, rotating at higher speeds counter-clockwise, it creates an icy current of air which gives the impression of being less hot.
6. Focus on body temperature more than house temperature
If your ancestors could survive without air conditioning, why not you? Cooling down from within can be a great idea: sip delicious cold drinks or apply a cool cloth to areas where you can feel your pulse, such as your neck or wrists. Other tips: dress according to the weather, and refuse hugs from your partner until the trees start to lose their leaves...
7. Turn on the ventilation in your bathroom...
...or in the kitchen, for that matter. Both expel hot air that rises when cooking or taking a hot shower.
8. Insulate your bed from the heat
Don't go overboard and sleep with your head propped up on a cooling pillow. For your feet, fill a hot water bottle and put it in the freezer before sliding it to the bottom of your bed. And, although it may seem strange, slightly wetting your sheets before bed will go a long way to cooling you down.
9. Let the night air in
During the summer months, the temperature can drop overnight. If this is the case in your area, take advantage of those cool hours by opening your windows ajar before you go to bed. You can even create a real wind tunnel system by installing your fans to create a through current. But don't forget to close windows and shutters in the morning, before the temperature rises too high!
Advertising10. Forget incandescent bulbs
If you need encouragement to switch to CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps), don't hesitate! Incandescent lamps waste about 90% of their energy in heat emissions. Putting them in the closet will refresh your home a bit, and lower your bill.
11. Prioritize grilled meats!
It's obvious, but it's better to say it: in summer, the use of an oven or a stove warms a house. If you already have the impression that it is around 40°C, avoid putting the oven at 200°C! Anyway, who needs to be prayed for to start the barbecue in the garden?
12. Make some long-term adjustments.
If you're against air conditioning, a few things can keep your home cool in the future. Glazing insulation films, for example, are a relatively inexpensive and effective solution, which work much like shutters. And adding awnings, trees or climbing plants on or in front of the most exposed windows will protect your home from the sun's rays, reduce the amount of heat it absorbs and be a more than worthwhile investment.
In desperation, you can always fall back on this.
This blog, originally published on the American HuffPost, was translated by Guillemette Allard-Bares for Fast for Word.
Also read:
• Some advice in the event of a heat wave, allergies and sunburn
• Five things you need to know to control your sweating
• Against the heat wave, the best drinks and the worst
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