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Expert’s simple window rule will keep your home ‘cool as a cave’ without spending a penny
August is the hottest month of the year in much of the world, so keeping cool is on everyone’s agenda right now.
Forget fans and air conditioning, an expert has shared one little-known tip to keep your home cool that doesn’t cost a penny.
Simple rule to keep your home cool
John Small, housebuilder and owner of�Ty Eco,�said you can keep your home as “cool as a cave” by following one simple rule: If its cooler inside than it is outside, you should keep your windows closed.
As soon as it gets hot outside, everyone rushes to open all the windows in the house to ‘let the air in’, but you could be making your home warmer by doing that.
“Its quite tempting during the day�to throw those windows wide open to bring the cool breeze in, but youre actually just going to bring in the warm air making your living space even hotter,” he said.
You should keep your windows open from late in the evening to early in the morning when it’s coolest outside. After 9am, it’s then better to keep them closed for the entire day to keep that cold air in and stop the hot external air from entering.
The only time you should open your windows in the day is if it’s warmer inside than it is outside, but make sure you use a proper temperature probe because temperature can be deceiving. Often, it might feel boiling but it’s actually still cooler than outside.
Be smart with which windows you open
When you do open your windows, you need to be smart about which ones to open for optimal home cooling.
Opening windows on opposite walls or at opposite ends of your homes creates a natural phenomenon called cross ventilation, a report in Energy and Buildings explains. This is when fresh air enters on one side, flows directly through the space and exits the other side.
Ideally, cool air will come into the house and warm air will exit, significantly reducing the overall temperature of the home. This occurs as wind generally moves from high pressure to areas of low pressure.�
For cross ventilation to work, there need to be at least two openings in the room as the wind needs an inlet and an outlet. These openings could be windows or doors.
Keep your home cool with window film
Small also recommends putting a reflective film over your window to bounce away the heat and block the sun’s UV rays, further lowering your home’s internal temperature.
Heat enters our houses in two ways, through solar radiation from the sun and hot air. To keep your home as cool as possible, it’s important to limit both. Keeping windows closed stops the hot air coming in, while a film will block the sun’s rays.
Another great way to stop the sun’s radiation from entering is by keeping your blinds and curtains closed. Plus, try this NASA-approved method of cooling your home with plants.
