Simple Ways to Keep Your Home Cool This Heatwave

It's fair to say we're not built for it here. Northern Ireland's average June temperature sits comfortably in the high teens, so when the mercury climbs into the mid to high twenties, as it has this week, our homes can feel the strain just as much as we do.

With the warm spell set to stick around and temperatures forecast to reach the mid-twenties across the province, now is a good time to think about keeping your home comfortable. The good news is that most of it comes down to small, sensible habits rather than expensive kit. Here's how to keep your rooms cool when the sun's out in force.

Keep the heat out before it gets in

The single most effective thing you can do is stop heat building up in the first place. Once a room warms through, it's slow to cool down again.

During the hottest part of the day, draw the curtains or close the blinds on any window catching direct sun, usually the south- and west-facing rooms. It feels counterintuitive to sit in a dimmed room on a bright day, but keeping that sunlight off the glass makes a noticeable difference to the temperature inside.

Time your ventilation

Throw the windows open first thing in the morning and again in the evening once the air has cooled, then close everything up again as the day heats up. You're effectively trapping the cooler night air inside and shutting the warm daytime air out.

If you can open windows on opposite sides of the house, even better, a cross-breeze pulls fresh air through and clears out the stuffiness far faster than a single open window.

Make your fan work harder

A fan doesn't lower the temperature, but it does help your body cool itself, so it's well worth having one going. For an easy upgrade, sit a bowl of ice or a frozen water bottle just in front of it,  the air passing over the ice carries a welcome chill into the room.

Position fans to push warm air out of an open window in the evening, rather than just circulating hot air around.

Mind the kitchen

The oven and hob are two of the biggest heat sources in any home. On the hottest days, lean on no-cook meals, salads, or fire up the BBQ and take the cooking outside altogether. It keeps the kitchen comfortable and gives you a good excuse to enjoy the garden.

Sleep easy

Bedrooms can be the hardest rooms to settle in during a heatwave. Keep the blinds closed through the day, switch to lighter cotton bedding, and let the room air out properly in the evening before you turn in. A glass of water on the bedside table never goes amiss either.

Look after each other

A heatwave is lovely for most of us, but it's genuinely tough for some. Keep an eye on older neighbours and relatives, young children, and pets. Make sure everyone's drinking plenty of water, stays out of the midday sun where possible, and never leave children or animals in a parked car, even for a few minutes.

A word on staying comfortable year-round

One of the quiet advantages of a modern, energy-efficient home is that the same insulation keeping you warm and your bills down through a Northern Irish winter also helps hold the heat at bay in summer. Well-built, properly insulated homes hold a steadier temperature through the year, so you're less at the mercy of whatever the weather decides to do.

At Hagan Homes, that comfort is built in from the ground up across all of our developments, so whether it's a rare June scorcher or a frosty January morning, your home is ready for it.