Thirty degrees or more: tropical temperatures are expected in Brabant. Fun for those who can bear the heat, but quite a challenge for those who want to keep it cool indoors. Luckily, there are tricks to keep the heat out of your home without running an air conditioner at full speed. “Start on time, before your house is warm,” says Roosmarijn Knol of Weerplaza. “A house has a buffering effect. When it gets warm outside, it takes a while before your house is actually warm. But after that, it also takes a long time to cool down.
1. Close windows and doors
If there is one tip Knol would like to pass on, it is: to keep windows and doors closed during the day. “That feels crazy because you usually open your windows when you want to cool down your house. But it is warmer outside than inside right now. If you open your windows and doors then you actually let the warm air in. When it cools down in the evening, and at night, you can open everything. If it’s colder outside than inside, everything can be opened.”
2. Shut blinds or curtains
It is important to protect your home from the sun, for instance, by using blinds or umbrellas. Then those tropical sun rays won’t have a chance to release heat into your home.
If you do not have these items, it is best to close the curtains. It may not be as cosy, but it does make sense. Be careful with this: if you open your curtain again, the warm air between the window and the curtain will come straight into your house.
3. Dry the laundry outside
Then Knol also has a slightly less obvious tip: don’t let your washed clothes dry inside. “If you do, the humidity rises. This makes it oppressively warm inside and increases the wind chill,” says Knol.
4. Green your garden
The garden can also help keep your home cool: “A green garden can be several degrees cooler.”
5. Ventilate at night
The fan plays an important role in cooling your house, according to Lisanne Havinga. She is an assistant professor of Building Performance at Eindhoven University of Technology. Once it cools down in the evening, she recommends opening windows upstairs and downstairs. Set the fan in the upper room about one and a half to two metres from the window.
“It sounds strange, but aim that fan at the open window. This creates negative pressure in the other rooms. A kind of chimney effect that draws in and expels the warm air. You can also set the alarm clock and do it in the early morning.” But be careful with this. Of course, you don’t want burglars in your house, either.
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translator: Martijn
