Summer is here and in South Africa our summer’s can be especially scorching. Keeping your home at a chilled temperature is easy if you have air conditioning, but what can you do if you don’t?
Here are 5 tips for keeping your home cool in the summer without air conditioning
Keep your blinds closed
Your glass windows absorb heat throughout the day, so keeping your blinds closed prevents that heat from circulating through your home, essentially stopping your house from becoming a greenhouse.
Keep your doors open or closed at the right times
Keeping your doors closed throughout the day will stop any cool air from escaping, as well as allowing any hot air to circulate through the house. Also, keeping your doors open at night allows the cool air to spread around your home.
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Cool down your bed
Keeping your bed cool will make sure that you get a more comfortable night’s sleep in the summer. There are a number of easy ways to do this, such as keeping a hot water bottle in the fridge and using it at night in bed, or by slightly dampening your bedsheets at night.
Use the grill rather than the stove
Using your stove heats up your kitchen, and that hot air could circulate throughout other rooms in your house. A grill produces much less heat, and can also be used to prepare more summer-friendly dishes like chicken cutlets or grilled vegetables.
Reflect and reduce sunlight
Your home absorbs sunlight throughout the day making it hotter as the day progresses. One of the most effective and common methods of reflecting sunlight is using reflective roof paint and using insulated windows coverings. There are also special kinds of film that you can use to cover your windows and reflect heat and UV rays.