Finally summer! The sun shines more intensely, the temperature curve rises steeply. However, the approaching heat also has its downsides: Some apartments get so warm that the oasis of well-being becomes a nuisance. So what to do against a heated home? With these tips, you can ban the heat from your home.
How do I ventilate properly?
That’s a question many people who live under the roof are asking themselves these days. The answer is: less is more. Opening the windows during the day to breathe fresh air has exactly the opposite effect. Only more heat comes into the apartment. Therefore, when the temperature is above 25 degrees, you should only air it out early in the morning, late in the evening or at night.
That sounds easier than it is. Because it depends on the right implementation. You should only ventilate if the thermometer drops below 24 °C. In summer, this is usually the case in the morning or evening hours. If you open the windows when the outside temperature is above 25 °C, you will achieve the opposite effect. The heat comes into the apartment from outside.
Incidentally, quick ventilation is better than leaving the windows open all the time. The best way to exchange air is when the windows opposite are open. In addition, in the summer months, airing has to be three times as long as in winter. Experts recommend 25 minutes. Here are 10 great renovation tradies in Melbourne that can help you move forward keeping the summer in mind.
Tips for proper ventilation
- The basic rule for airing is “intermittent airing” at any time of the year. To do this, open all windows for about ten to twenty minutes and let in the fresh air. This period guarantees an optimal air exchange. It is best to ventilate in this way in the morning and the evening. Permanently tilted windows should be taboo.
- The best time to air is morning and evening. At this time the air is coolest and contains the least moisture.
- Ideally, the rooms should be “cross-ventilated”. To do this, open all the windows and doors in the apartment at the same time to enable a quick exchange of air between the used, humid indoor air and the dry, fresh outdoor air.
Which sunscreen is best?
There are many options – from blinds to awnings to heat insulation films. The location where it is attached is more important than the type of sun protection. It’s better outside, otherwise, the sunlight behind the pane is converted into thermal radiation and stays there.
According to experts, solar radiation can be reduced by 75 per cent with protection on the outside, but only 25 per cent on the inside. However, it is not always possible to attach all the equipment to the outside – for example, if the landlord refuses to do so. In such cases, experts recommend external heat protection films, which have “a slight sunglass effect”.
Anyone who relies on curtains, screens or roller blinds should choose the brightest possible colours, as these reflect best. Honeycomb blinds, on the other hand, are somewhat more complex and expensive, which interior decorators recommend and say they are good against the heat in summer and help against the cold in winter.
What does a fan do?
Strictly speaking, nothing, because an air machine cannot lower the temperatures. And a fan can still help because it distributes the air, which helps the moisture evaporate. It makes us feel better.
Only use fans when you or other people are in the room. Fans don’t produce cooler air, they just whirl up existing air – which we find refreshing. Attention: It is best to place the fan on the floor and let the airflow from bottom to top. Drafts on the face can cause eye irritation.
Tinkerers like to place a bucket with ice cubes in front of the fan. The air should be cooler and the effect should be the same as with an air conditioner.
What about your devices?
Even if a computer is not the sun – it also produces heat. As well as a large plasma screen, the oven and phone chargers. This creates unnecessary heat, even in the office. The television and other devices should therefore not only be switched off completely in the hot weeks of the year when they are not in use. Electrical devices always consume energy when they are in standby mode. If you reduce heat by switching off, you will also notice this on your electricity bill.
What other tricks are there?
The internet is full of more or less useful tips. Some pre-cool their pyjamas, others wet their curtains. Not everything is always practical. But water can help. This is another reason why stone floors, which can be cooled with water, are widespread across Australia.
Some guides recommend getting rid of furniture and carpets and painting the walls light-coloured. This would make the rooms appear larger and airier. That sounds more like kitchen psychology than really good advice for a hot loft. Suspended ceiling tiles can also keep your room cool in summers and these suspended ceiling tiles have several other benefits.
Don’t leave any chance for mould
It doesn’t matter whether its summer or winter, especially in rooms where there is a lot of moisture, you have to take special measures to prevent mould from forming. Especially in the kitchen and bathroom, so-called wet peaks occur when cooking, showering or bathing, where a particularly large amount of moisture is formed in the air. Here is a guide on how you can get the best plasters in this modern world of plaster.
The moisture should be removed by intensive ventilation immediately after it has formed. The electronic exhaust air systems such as extractor hoods and bathroom ventilation should always be activated while cooking or showering. Textile curtains should be avoided in the bathroom, as they store moisture and continuously release it into the air.
To Conclude
When we hear the word “summer” we think of eating ice cream, going swimming, having social evenings with friends on the terrace and relaxing hours in the sun. A faithful companion of summer is often the enormous heat, which gives us overheated rooms and sleepless nights. We hope our tips help you get a comfortable stay in the summers.
We hope you relax and enjoy the summer!
