Don't overwork your AC — experts say 'pre-cooling' your home is the best way to keep your energy bills low
But according to expert Joseph Holman, CEO of Green Doors, there's a simple routine you can follow to significantly lower the temperature of your home, no AC needed.
Even if you do have access to central air or air conditioning, this routine will heavily reduce your dependency on it — lowering your energy consumption and giving your AC a well-deserved break.
It's called "pre-cooling", and it involves protecting your home from those harsh rays of sun when they're at their strongest.
"The aim is to block sunlight before it enters the room, because the closer the sun's rays reach the interior, the more it heats up.
Joseph Holman, CEO of sustainable door and window company Green Doors, said: 'The way you need to think about this is that you need to stop the sunlight directly entering your home as soon as possible."
"The aim is to block sunlight before it enters the room, because the closer the sun's rays reach the interior, the more it heats up."
This involves creating a routine where you keep windows open and curtains drawn when the air outside is cooler than it is inside, but as soon as temperatures ramp up outside, you close off your doors and windows to the effect of the sun.
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'So, keeping a window open at night makes sense, but then you want to draw the blinds before the sunlight comes shining through the windows. You also want to close the windows in the morning too."
It's a simple concept, which readers observed when we shared the "caveman method" as an effective cooling technique this summer, but there are some factors you should consider when adapting this routine to your home.
This fan is the perfect companion for hot weather. It's portable, rechargeable, can be used indoors or outdoor and comes with a detachable misting tank that'll cool you down even further. In our Shark FlexBreeze review, we said: "It cools you off like a cucumber in a lux grocery store". And with a $50 saving, it's an excellent deal for such a premium product.
U.K.-based readers can also pick up a great saving on the FlexBreeze when shopping direct at Shark. This £30 saving is pretty generous considering how fast fans are selling out nationwide, and it's a heatwave staple that will come in handy year after year.
"If you have a window facing east, then that's going to warm up first", says Holman. So consider the windows in your home which are most likely to receive the full force of the sun in the morning, and act to keep the sun from entering them.
And when it comes to choosing the right blinds to keep the sun at bay?
'The best type of blinds would be external sun louvre blinds, which is why they are so popular in hot areas like southern Italy and France. They are, however, expensive to install."
"If you have a window facing east, then that's going to warm up first"
'The second-best option is integral blinds, which are inside the glazing panes themselves and are operated via a pull-down cord or magnet. They let only one layer of glass heat up, so they stop a lot of light. These, however, are again very costly."
'The cheapest and most popular option is internal thermal blinds that are installed on the inside. Honeycomb blinds are the best in this category, and considerably reduce solar heat."
And when it comes to choosing the right blinds, there's more than one type to consider. You should also think carefully about the color you choose.
You may think that a dark-colored blind will be most effective at keeping the sun at bay, but according to Holman, 'no matter the blinds, you need them to be white or neutral colors on the side facing the sun, to reduce the most amount of heat."
'For an even cheaper option, installing Solar Reflective Film directly onto glass panes also substantially reduces the heat. You want a house that you enjoy living in all year round, and that can be a sustainable decision."
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