How to cool down room & home in hot weather (without aircon)

As we gear up for the some of the warmest months recorded in the past few years, we need ways to keep our homes cool during the weekends or work from home days. Running the aircon for the whole day just isn't feasible for some of us (the aircon electricity bills rack up!), or the living room doesn't have an aircon but is burning up in the weather.

Here are 5 ways to cool your home without using the air-conditioner.

1. Shut your windows (sometimes)

Surprise, surprise. Close your windows when the weather is hot! It's important to note that this only works when the outside air is warmer than the air inside your room. It prevents the hot air from entering, reducing the temperature of your home.

Times where the air outside may be hotter than the air in your room or house spans from:

• 12pm to 5pm in the afternoon
• Right after raining, when the air is humid
• Your aircon compressor is right outside the window

Ventilate your room!

We are not asking you to keep your windows shut all the time! It's important to have airflow and fresh air ventilating in any room you're in to dilute and remove pollutants for the benefit of your health.

For maximum effectiveness in ventilation, open up two windows or doors directly across from each other, as if they were attached by an invisible straight line. That'll ensure the airflow is nearly constant.

When to open my windows?

So, when is a good time to open all windows and ventilate the house? Night time. It's better to open up your windows when the sun is down, because the air outside will be cooler. It'll bring the temperature of your home down overnight, and provide adequate ventilation of fresh air into your home.

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2. Close your curtains

Close all your curtains - day, night, blackout curtains - when it comes to high noon. When the sun is beating down and creating a furnace outside, you don't want those scorching sun rays to reach into your house. If direct sunlight is entering your home through the windows, closing your curtains is extra effective in keeping the heat out.

Did you know that up to 30% of unwanted heat comes in through your windows through radiation, either through solar rays directly transmitting through the glass, or the glass itself gaining heat and transferring it into your room.

So, closing your curtains prevent the first, and slows down the rate of transfer in the second. Either way, it'll prevent your room from heating up, especially through windows with direct sunlight exposure.

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3. Ceiling fan should spin counter-clockwise

Ceiling fans should generally should already be installed to spin counter-clockwise. However, if your ceiling fan just doesn't seem to be blowing strong enough wind, maybe it's time to take a look at the direction it's spinning.

Setting your fan to spin in a counter-clockwise direction creates a downward draft, which forms a direct wind that helps cool you down. If you have a modern ceiling fan, there should be a button on your remote control that allows you to change the direction of the fan.

Also, reduce dust that's trapped on your ceiling fan. Remember to clean your fan blades!

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4. Use a dehumidifier

One reason for the uncomfortably warm and sticky feeling you get in hot weather is not just because of heat, but humidity as well. If you check your weather app, chances are there'll be the actual temperature, and the 'feels like' temperature that accounts for humidity (and nearly always read much higher!).

At a higher humidity, our sweat isn't able to evaporate and cool us down as effectively, making us feel warmer and stickier. To solve this issue, you can invest in a dehumidifier.

Other benefits, apart from helping you feel cool in this sweltering weather, include reducing mould growth, and laundry drying quicker. It is certainly a multi-purpose function!

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5. Get a personal fan for your desk

Moving air makes us feel cooler. The more molecules hitting your skin per second, the more heat they take away, which gives the impression of cold air even if the temperature is warm.

That's why getting a personal fan for your desk constantly blowing at you can help make you feel cooler, without having to turn on the AC.

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