How to keep your home cool in hot weather using 10-second task — no fan

Summer offers the perfect opportunity to unwind outdoors and savour the glorious weather, but the heat can become intolerable when you’re confined indoors. British homes are built to retain warmth, which explains why they frequently feel stifling, and running a fan continuously can significantly increase your energy costs.

Nevertheless, Micaela, the founder of Stylish London Living, has revealed that maintaining a cool home is remarkably straightforward, as you simply need to open your windows at the optimal time. Micaela said: “I keep all windows and curtains closed during the day when the sun is at its strongest, then open them wide once the temperature drops in the evening.” Throughout the day, sunlight streaming through the windows will rapidly warm up your property, particularly during the hottest period which typically falls between 11am and 6pm.

Drawing your curtains during daylight hours functions like insulation to minimise heat absorption, while opening the windows in the evening allows any trapped warm air indoors to escape.

While it may sound straightforward, spending just a few moments opening and closing windows will lower both the temperature and humidity levels in your property to ensure you remain comfortable throughout summer.

How to keep your home cool in summer

Should you own a fan, switching them on during the evening is considerably more effective than operating them during the day, as it assists in expelling warm air from your property. Placing a bowl of ice in front of a fan can also serve as a makeshift air conditioner, rapidly cooling your home and making those sweltering summer nights far more bearable.

Ensure doors are left open during the evening to allow air to circulate freely between rooms, and move bulky furniture and heavy curtains aside, as these can obstruct airflow.

That said, it is crucial to shut windows and curtains in the morning at around 8am to keep the heat at bay and maximise the effectiveness of your ventilation strategy.

If certain areas of your home receive particularly intense sunlight, investing in blackout curtains could significantly reduce heat build-up. Should you choose to open the curtains, try to spend time in rooms with north-facing windows instead.

Micaela explained: “Your home has natural cooling potential that you might not be utilising! I’ve discovered that our north-facing rooms stay naturally cooler, so during extreme heat, we relocate our daily activities to these spaces.”