Hi there, time to share ways to keep your home cool during hot times
So ok, usual ways I use:
- open everything during night
- close everything during day
- external sheets on windows without shutters
- some curtains to prevent heat from going upstairs
I was also wondering if plants could also help inside, any ideas ?
Share your advices !
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Most importantly: Make sure no direct sunlight enters the house. Insulate your roof. Plants in the house can have a modest cooling effect. Close doors to rooms that get hot faster. Lower floors (especially cellars) are cooler, with a small ventilator this cooler air can be transported upwards. At night, use small ventilators to “pump” cool night air through all the floors.
Only fans.
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As someone from the equator with hot and humid air, this thing is common, it allow hot air in the attic to escape so the hot attic won’t radiate into your house, while sucking fresh air into your house. Plant surrounding your home exterior also will help with the cooling as well, especially when it stop light from hitting your wall. I usually just open everything during day, but open everything during night will also help circulate the hot air heated by the heat-trapping concrete wall. As of now i can’t open during night because my cat will escape, so i just use ac for half hour or so.
as someone from a similar place, mosquitoes make opening windows at night a health hazard, unless you install netting.
I should be getting to do that…
Yeah the mozzy mesh is a life saver, for both mosquitoes and flying termite/ant swarm after rain, but do keep in mind that meshes will restrict some air flow. Still, it’s better than nothing, and combine with that rooftop onion you might get better result.
I never knew what that rooftop onion does. But now that I know, that’s another thing to fix.
Wet curtains, and if that’s not enough a wet towel on the head (not your home, I know, but something to remember when your brain threatens to overheat and you’ve got no energy left to pursue another solution.
@salcie
On m’a parlé des films solaires adhésifs anti chaleur pour les vitres. Mais, je ne pourrais pas conseiller de marque.Sinon conseils habituels :
- Aérer la nuit.
- Fermer les volets en journée.
- Utiliser un ventilateur
- Bien s’hydrater
- Serviettes humides.Froidotte :
Je mets des packs de glace au congélateur et je les utilise enveloppés dans une serviette.If you live in a humid area, AC will become more and more valuable. Wet bulb temperature. At some point your sweat will no longer evaporate and you’ll die. Climate change cometh.
If your roof is not shaded by trees, a light colored roof makes a huge difference. This can be accomplished a number of ways. Replacing your roofing material with a lighter color is ideal but expensive. Coating it with something like Henry Tropi-cool is durable but the product is also a little pricey. The absolute budget way to do this on an asphalt shingled roof is with a slurry of masonry lime. I’ve experimented with all of these methods and the results are dramatic. In my case the coating paid for itself within one season and made the house noticeably more comfortable.
Apparently window awnings make a considerable difference.
Look at old hot climates.
notice the afternoon siesta. Sleep in the shade in the hot of the day and work (play) later into the night.
notice large covered porches around the house. Spend more time outside in the breeze and shade.
notice the large windows and doors. When you are inside get plenty of ventilation-
notice the ceiling fan (often slave pulled). Be glad we now have electric fans.
notice the folding hand fans. Portable fans exist, though most of the time the hand fan is better - get one.
People in hot climates do not sit outside. They also do not open their windows. Because they’re not insane.
In hot and dry climates, a breeze in a shady place works well, actually. In humid places it’s harder.
That actually has results counterintuitive to temperate people when it comes to clothing. Arabs don’t just cover up for modesty.
Curtains are a god send. Make sure you have them to isolate things coming into and out of your house. So have a curtain to isolate your entry way. That way the heat stays there. Same things at the stairs so you can keep the cool in the baseline while you stay there
Also to note that depending on your house and the outside temp its not worthwhile to open the windows at night. But generally it is better. Make sure you have a fan in the window blowing the hot air out as well. Its best if its upstairs to draw the cool air in.
Lose weight. I’m totally serious. Thin people have much higher natural tolerance for heat.
It’s no coincidence that so many developed countries have become addicted to AC. The fact is that most people there are now overweight and in many (USA most obviously) over 40% are literally obese. Conversely, AC is much less common in places like France and Japan, and it’s not just because they’re too cheap.
If you want to stay cool in a heatwave, it helps not to be wearing a blubber overcoat that you can’t remove.
Conversely, AC is much less common in places like France and Japan, and it’s not just because they’re too cheap.
I assure you that practically every household in Japan has an air conditioner these days. Maybe not some decades ago but things have changed, including the climate. And companies are legally required to keep offices at no higher than 28°C, too.
Offices in all countries have AC, the question is about homes. I doubt “practically every household” in Hokkaido has AC. Here in northern Europe, very few do.
Every home I have visited in Japan over the past two decades has had A/C units. You may be right that in regions where it is very cold an A/C unit may not be necessary. However, as heat pumps are one of if not the most energy efficient ways to not only cool but also heat a home, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them even in colder regions.
Add on the fact that houses in Japan are generally considered a depreciating asset, so until recently demolitions and new construction were favored over renovations, I stand by my first statement.
Additionally, every place I have ever rented has come with at least one A/C unit, and additional holes are predrilled in other rooms so that split systems can be installed.
This may explain why I’m wearing a hoodie in the office in late June while most everybody else is comfortable or still hot.
But, I also do lots of outdoors stuff and acclimate to heat up to a point.
I gain weight this winter. I have such a trouble cooling down the part of my body that gain the weight. It is hard…
I mostly agree since it’s healthy either way, but back when I was half my weight when I studied in a 4 seasons country, coming back to the year round hot and humid home country still makes me immediately sweat the moment I step out of the plane. Constantly felt like I always have a blanket on me. Anecdotal for sure, but I just want to say my piece.
Using a reflective surface such as aluminum foil on the windows (shiny facing outside) will help. I’ve used contact spray adhesive on cardboard cut to size of window before. You can also get the bubble-wrap aluminum insulation.
Cut temps in my old studio from food-safe poultry temp to near ambient on the 100+F/40+C days.
Pretty good (but long) answer with historic solutions here : https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2025/06/dressing-and-undressing-the-home/
My short answer : do not let the sunshine in (stores, awnings, shutters), let it flow let it go (air), I like big walls and I cannot lie
Didn’t say if you own the home or not, but if so:
Mind it’s only hot for 2-4 months out of the year for me, so I have a winterized attic fan. Just means I’m not losing heat in the winter and paid a little more to buy it. You can just get a regular attic fan if it’s never or rarely cold where you live.
You leave windows open, but now there’s negative pressure from pushing air out the attic where a lot of the heat is trapped and sucking in air from outside even if there’s no breeze. I leave the attic access hole open when it’s running. The rare day I still use a Window A/C to sleep.
When its hot, avoid cooking indoors if you can. Especially iff you dont have proper exhaust in your kitchen. Buy some food that require less heat or none. Sandwiches, Fruits, Salads, etc.
Keep your home cool and yourself too.
