Opening 1 door cools upstairs down in hot weather at night

A housing expert has shared several ways people can keep their homes cool during a heatwave, including leaving one door open at night to help sleep better. The advice comes as the Met Office forecasts another spell of hot weather will arrive this week, not too long after the UK’s last 40C “heat dome” last month.

This week, there will be a north-south divide across the UK, with rain expected across much of Scotland and sunshine and high temperatures forecast further south. On Wednesday, July 8, temperatures in southeast England are set to reach 33C, rising to 34C on Thursday, July 9.

The Met Office says: “There’s a heatwave on the way across southern parts of the UK this coming week.” Regarding the outlook for Wednesday to Friday, the Met Office adds: “Cloudy and rain starts to clear across the north with some outbreaks across western Scotland. Fine and dry elsewhere with plenty of sunny spells and staying hot in the south.”

The sizzling daytime heat will mean hot, humid conditions at night for millions across the country. Sleeping in hot weather can be a struggle for many people, and not everyone is comfortable using a fan.

Fortunately, there are several steps homeowners can take to stay cool in their bedrooms, as heat rises, making upstairs rooms particularly unpleasant at night.

Oliver Novakovic, Technical and Innovation Director at Barratt Redrow, has shared ways to keep homes cooler this summer. One tip he recommends is to leave one door open at night to let trapped hot air escape – and it isn’t the front or back door.

He explains: “Lift the loft hatch. As the hot air rises in your home, it can often get trapped on the second floor, where you may be trying to sleep.

“Opening the loft hatch during the day can allow the air to rise further and away from your bedroom. If you have a fire-rated loft hatch, remember to close it again at night.”

Opening your loft hatch at night can help cool down your bedroom, as long as the outside air and the loft area have also cooled off. Since hot air rises, opening the hatch allows trapped heat to escape, especially when you also crack a window to increase airflow.

However, the results can vary. On Mumsnet, several users mention that their bedrooms feel significantly cooler when they use the hatch to let warm air out. On the other hand, some users on Reddit caution that if your loft is really hot or poorly ventilated, opening the hatch might let trapped heat flow back into your upstairs rooms.