tips for a cool house in summer

It doesn't just seem like our summers are getting hotter. That's actually true. Are you prepared for the day the sparrows fall off the roof? Our refreshing tips will help you get more sleep at night and keep your house much cooler.

 

Tip 1: Keep the heat out

It's easier to keep heat out than to get it out of your house. Take advantage of these tips to keep your house cool without air conditioning.

• Close all windows and doors in the morning. Curtains can also be drawn, and awnings, screens, or shutters can be lowered. This will effectively keep the sun out. An awning provides additional shade. What doesn't heat up doesn't need to cool down.
• A flat roof often gets incredibly hot. It's definitely worth growing plants on it—a green roof. It takes a while, but it's worth it! In the meantime, you can keep the roof wet, for example, with a garden hose.
• Hang your laundry outside. It dries quickly and smells fresh. A dryer generates a lot of heat, just like an oven. You don't want that kind of heat. 
• Cooking also generates heat. A barbecue is therefore highly recommended. Don't have the energy for that at the end of the day? Then make a fresh salad in the morning while it's still cool. Delicious in this weather!

 

Tip 2: Too late? Here's how to cool down again

Have you already warmed up? When the sun goes down, you naturally open everything wide again. Logical. But there are more tricks to keep your head and home cool.

• In the morning, take in the cool breeze from outside. Open all the windows and doors briefly before closing everything up again.
• Is it really unbearable inside? If you have to open a window, hang a wet sheet over it. That way, you'll cool the air.
• Can't sleep? Cool off with a cold shower. That's often enough to lower your body temperature and help you fall asleep. Don't use polyester bedding; bedding made of satin, linen, or cotton feels nice and fresh at night.

 

Tip 3: Still too hot? Install a fan in your house.

Sometimes it stays hot for weeks at a time. In that case, a fan in the house is recommended.

This is how a fan helps the most.
A fan uses only 15 kilowatt-hours per year. A good investment if you're looking for refreshment. Use it wisely! Open the window, place the fan in the doorway, and let it blow into the hallway. Because the fan sucks the warm air out of your room, you pull cool air in through the window. Exactly what you want.

 

Source: based on an article on  www.essent.nl/kennisbank

 

Airing or ventilation

Ventilation  is the process of completely refreshing the air in a room in a short period of time.

You can do this by opening a window and/or opening a door.

You usually air out the room for a short time and you can heat up the fresh cold air again quite quickly.

Airing is not a substitute for ventilation.

The effect of thorough ventilation on air quality will have completely disappeared within a few hours.

 

Ventilation  is a continuous, gentle airflow in which fresh air is supplied and polluted and moist air is removed through various openings.

Ventilation sometimes occurs unconsciously through cracks and by opening doors. This already happens when you open and close the door when going outside or inside, for example. That's a nice bonus, but it's especially important that you use the ventilation systems installed in your home for this purpose.

Essential for ventilation is that every room must have both air supply and exhaust.

 

Source: Comfortable and healthy living; a brochure from the Dutch Tenants' Association