When the heat is on it’s important to have a cool home to retreat to. We’ve looked at all the advice out there and brought together some straightforward tips to help you keep your place cool. There are simple fixes to prepare for hot weather. And when the heat hits try some tactics to make the most of your cooling systems.
How to beat the summer heat at home
Work on your windows
Windows can let a lot of heat into our homes. In summer the trick is to stop the sun’s heat before it hits the glass. Shade east and west-facing windows with outdoor blinds, awnings or shutters. Fixing horizontal slatted shades above north-facing windows will block the sun’s rays when it’s high in the sky. Double up on window protection by closing blinds or curtains inside your home.
Mind the gaps
The same gaps and cracks that invite draughts into your home in winter will let heat in during summer. Hardware shops have many products to seal these off. These are often cheap and easy fixes you can do yourself. Block gaps under external doors with door strips. Keep an air-conditioned room cool by adding a draught-stopping door sausage to a poorly fitted internal door. Add weather seals to windows and caulk gaps in floorboards and skirting boards.
Boost your insulation
A well-insulated home will keep cooler for longer. You can fit insulation in walls, under floors and in the ceiling. Sustainability Victoria says effective ceiling insulation is the best barrier against summer heat. It advises topping up your ceiling insulation if it’s less than 50 mm thick.
Maximise your air-conditioning
Keep air-conditioning maintained so it works as well as it can. Cleaning the filters will keep it running smoothly and cut your energy use. Cool only the rooms you’re using. That might be your living area or study during the day and bedrooms at night. Try to keep your thermostat set at between 24 and 26 degrees. Sustainability Victoria advises that in summer each degree lower on your thermostat will cost you around 10% on running bills.
Use a fan
Fixed and portable fans are cheap to buy and run. They can keep you comfortable enough to avoid using air-conditioning, and boost its reach when it’s on. Position a pedestal or desk fan under the air-con stream to push the chilled air further into the room. On a very hot night you can do this to ‘extend’ your living-room air-con’s reach into a nearby bedroom.
Don’t add to the heat
Cooking up an evening meal can add heat to your carefully cooled home, especially if you use an oven or gas cooktop. An induction cooktop or microwave oven will add less heat to your kitchen. Or you could cook on a backyard barbecue or one at a local park.
We’re here to help
As part of delivering our Climate Action Plan we’re helping you make your home more energy efficient. Find out more about the offers below on our Save energy in your home page.
Boroondara libraries have several energy-saving items you can borrow, including:
- induction cooktops, so you can try one before you buy
- home energy meters to measure energy use and let you calculate the running costs of household appliances
- thermal imaging cameras to show where heat is leaking into your home, gaps in insulation and appliances using lots of energy.
Council also offers discounted home energy audits. We’ve partnered with government-accredited assessors Ephe to offer quality home energy audits at:
- 50% off the normal price
- or 75% off for eligible concession card holders.
Look for home-related energy workshops on our Sustainability events page.