DIY TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HOME COOL THIS SUMMER

It’s that time of the year again. Spring has just left, leaving behind a trail of blooming flowers in its wake for her less benevolent sister, Summer. Mangoes and humidity have made a smashing comeback as the buzzwords of the season. People swarm to swimming pools to cool off in this oppressive weather. School children seek respite from the scorching heat at the delightful ice cream shops.

The mercury keeps rising and the unrelenting heat and humidity ensure that you spend your summers indoors at the mercy of air conditioners. While using air conditioners are an inevitable part of the summer routine, they might not the be the most cost-effective or environment-friendly choice. Here are a few simple techniques you can implement on your own to keep your home and surroundings cool this summer without air-conditioners.

Cross-ventilation : Cross ventilation is essentially the use of strategically placed doors, windows and fans to create air circulation to cool a house naturally. It involves using an inlet to draw in the cooler external air while an outlet forces the warmer internal air out. Cross ventilation requires correct positioning of the doors and windows to create the desired effect but if we are unable to change the positions, we can employ the use of fans to create the air flow.

Limiting the use of incandescent lamps : Incandescent bulbs are known to emit heat and increase the temperature of the room in which they are placed. Countries like the United States and Australia have already phased out the use of such lamps. Switching to CFLs(Compact Flourescent Lamps) or LEDs has proved to be a smarter choice as they are energy saving as well as easy on the pocket.

Keeping the sunlight out : A significant portion of the energy that comes in the through your window as sunlight gets converted to heat. It is very important to keep the sunlight out at all costs unless you want to live in a greenhouse. Installing shades or awnings outside the windows or covering them with drapes and protective films can prove to be effective. Cultivating trees and plants is also a great way to keep sunshine off your house and cool the external air.

Ceiling-fan rotation : It is a lesser known fact the setting of our ceiling fan can be changed to suit our requirements according to the season. Generally, we want the fan blades to spin counter-clockwise in the summers as it pushes cool air downwards.

Switching to lighter bedding and upholstery : As the temperature increases, it is a better idea to switch from synthetic blends to lighter natural fabrics like linen and cotton as they give a cooler, crisper feel. Buckwheat pillows are also a good option as they do not absorb heat. We should also wash the linens more frequently.

Letting the night air in : It is advisable to keep the doors and windows open only when the outside air is cooler than it is inside. Hence, we should keep the doors and windows of the house tightly shut during the day to prevent our the undesirable hot and humid air coming in. After sunset, when the temperature declines, we should ventilate naturally or through the use of fans.

In addition to the above, there are a number of small measures we can adopt to ensure that our summers are less excruciating even without the use of air conditioners, such as painting the roof white, investing in dehumidifiers, staying away from electronic appliances which emit heat, such as the TV or the stove and so on.