Households told to put fans in one place in their home this weekend
But as the mercury rises, keeping cool indoors is proving tricky for many.
1
The Met Office has confirmed that large parts of the UK have officially met heatwave criteria.
A heatwave is declared when a location experiences three consecutive days of temperatures meeting or exceeding 25°C in the north and west, and 28°C in Greater London and the Home Counties.
Energy expert Les Roberts from Bionic has shared a simple trick to beat the heat, using fans and natural ventilation.
He said: "Open opposite windows or doors to create airflow.
" Place a fan facing outward at one opening to push hot air out, and another fan facing inward at the opposite opening to pull cooler air in.
"This creates a strong cross-breeze."
He says this works best in the evening, overnight or early morning, when outdoor temperatures are cooler than indoors.
Les added: "The temperature difference enhances airflow, helping fans push hot air out and pull cooler air in.
"It's a simple trick that can make a big difference, especially at night when temperatures drop."
This cooling hack has already gone viral on TikTok, with user Zilovesscience racking up thousands of views for her demonstration.
Six items every UK driver should remove from cars this weekend
In the clip, Zilovesscience shows her fan pointing outward at an open window, saying: "The key is air circulation.
"A fan pointing outward pushes warm, stale air out while pulling cooler air in from shaded areas or other parts of the house."
One viewer commented: "Life-saving tip."
Before using an old fan during the heatwave, make sure it's clean and functioning properly.
Dust on the blades can reduce efficiency and blow particles around, potentially causing congestion if left running overnight.
A quick clean will improve performance and help keep your space fresh.
For the best cooling results, opt for an oscillating fan, which moves from side to side to circulate air evenly throughout the room.
Most fans, even budget options, come with this feature, so check for it when buying a new one.
How to stay safe in hot weather
The UK Health Security Agency advised you follow these tips to reduce your risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke:
Keep out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, between 11am and 3pm
If you are going to do a physical activity like exercising or walking the dog, plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the morning or evening
Keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
If you go outside, cover up with light clothing, a hat and sunglasses and slather on sun cream
Drink plenty of fluids but limit booze
Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them
Check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you
Source: UKHSA
Other ways to keep cool in the heat
Want to keep cool without breaking the bank? Try out these free hacks...
Mop the floor
Clean the house and keep cool at the same time by mopping the floor.
The hack boils down to simple science. The water will absorb heat from the floor when it evaporates - and hey presto, your floor is cooler.
It's just like you sweat when it's hot - it's your body's way of keeping your skin cool.
TV presenter Kevin McCloud is reportedly a fan of this little-known hack.
He told the Radio Times in 2022 that he learned the tip from "little old Italian men" who mopped their stone floors during hot temperatures.
Defrost the freezer
It may not be top of your list of fun things to do this weekend, but defrosting the freezer is a great way of cooling down.
The cold air from the freezer will be a welcome relief, and will circulate around the room, helping to bring down the temperature.
Experts estimate that not defrosting your freezer regularly could be costing households as much as £150 a year.
So it's a win for your temperature and a win for your wallet too.
Closing curtains will stop sunlight streaming through into your property and warming up the inside.
The best time to do it is during the hottest parts of the day, between 10am and 4pm.
Use this fan trick
You can create a DIY "ice fan" by putting a container or bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan.
This will make sees the air passing over the ice cooler.
This hack isn't the most effective for larger rooms, but can work in smaller rooms like your bedroom.
Little-known new build home rule
If you live in a new build home, the good news is that it may have been designed to keep below a certain temperature.
Building regulations state that bedrooms in new build homes must not exceed temperatures above 26C overnight.
That means window and door openings will be designed to close if temperatures start to soar.
Unfortunately, you won't benefit if you're not in one of these new builds - but there are other ways to keep cool.
For example, you can close the curtains during the day, which will help to keep your home cool into the night.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Wildfire in Albania injures three people, forces evacuation of 2,000
TIRANA, July 25 (Reuters) - A wildfire injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday. "Three people have sustained burns and suffered asphyxiation," Delvina Deputy Mayor Brunilda Meleqi told Reuters by phone. Six villages were evacuated, and a church and 10 uninhabited houses were destroyed by the blaze, she said. The fire's intensity eased in the evening after two helicopters were deployed to assist firefighting efforts. The Defence Ministry said around 60 soldiers had been dispatched to help contain the fire. Greece and the wider Balkans sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer this week, with laborers barred from work, tourists kept away from the ruins, and firefighters battling blazes scattered across the arid countryside.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Santa Claus village is melting in heatwave
The official home town of Father Christmas has been hit with a record-breaking heatwave, stoking fears that wildfires that have swept across Lapland will become more frequent. The Arctic city of Rovaniemi in northern Finland – usually associated with snow and the winter holidays – has been melting in the hot weather. Temperatures in Lapland, a region that crowns the tip of Norway and where it snows for seven months a year, have been hitting highs of 31C, more than 10C higher than the seasonal average. Ville Siiskonen, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said that while temperatures above 30C were unusual – 'a once in 10-year event' – the length of the heatwave was exceptional. 'For 15 consecutive days, the daily maximum temperature has exceeded 25C. This is the longest since records began in the early 1960s,' he told The Telegraph. The previous record was set in 1972 when a heatwave lasted 14 days. The extreme heat is expected to last till early next week. The highest temperature of the heatwave, 31.7C, was recorded at two locations, Ylitornio and Sodankylä, earlier this week. However, the hot weather has led to renewed concern over the fast pace of climate change in the Arctic, which is warming up to five times faster than the global average, according to the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change. 'Due to climate change, these sorts of heatwaves in Lapland are expected to become longer and more intensive over this century,' Mr Siiskonen said. Emergency services have also been dealing with several dozen fast-spreading wildfires in the wilderness further north of Rovaniemi this week. Due to the size and remoteness of Lapland, fires often burn for long stretches before firefighters can arrive on the scene. Finnish authorities have warned the population that the risk of wildfires remains high. In Rovaniemi, schools and nurseries have cancelled some outdoor activities, authorities have told residents to check on their elderly neighbours and health officials are warning people of the need to stay hydrated. Despite the limited chaos, Sanna Kärkkäinen, managing director of Visit Rovaniemi, said that the heat has not affected the city's most popular tourist destination. 'The weather has certainly surprised locals and tourists,' she told The Telegraph, but the Santa Claus Village, where visitors can meet the man himself, 'remains open seven days a week'. Lapland's reindeer, with their thick coats, are suffering in the heat and are also being attacked by mosquitoes. The animals, which mostly roam freely, have been trying to move to higher ground or travel into villages or to the beach in search of relief. Toivo Koivu, a resident of Rovaniemi who has just finished travelling through southern Europe, said he was shocked to return to such heat. 'We thought that when we would come back to Finland it would be cooler, like normally, but no, it was the same weather as down south,' Mr Koivu told Reuters. It comes as other parts of Europe this summer have been gripped with heatwaves and wildfires. In June – which was the hottest June on record globally – authorities in Spain, Portugal, Greece and France were forced to issue extreme heat warnings as temperatures went above 42C.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Dunster Beach rescue: Mother saves two children from sea
A mother who rescued her daughter after she was dragged out to sea by strong currents has warned others things can go wrong "in a flash".On Thursday, Reverend Chloe Kingdon stopped on Dunster Beach in Somerset to allow her daughter and a friend to go for a dip, as they had done many times said the two children, aged 10 and 11, were paddling waist deep when they were suddenly swept off their Kingdon jumped in after them and worked hard to bring them back to shore, where an RNLI crew treated them for water inhalation. Rev Kingdon said the group were heading home at around 16:30 BST when the children began "nagging" her to go swimming. "They know the rules," she said. "They know not to go in very far, they know it's dangerous. "They were waist deep, jumping around and playing, and as I was watching them they suddenly disappeared out of view. "I've never known a current like it. It was really, really strange."I could just see their two heads bobbing up and down, and I'm screaming but they're too far away to hear me." A passer-by leapt into action, diving in after the children while the emergency services were from Minehead RNLI Lifeboat Station, the coastguard and the ambulance service were immediately lifeguards went to the neighbouring Blue Anchor beach by mistake, Rev Kingdon said she felt she could not wait any longer. She waded through the choppy water to reach her daughter, turning only to see her fellow rescuer clambering back to shore. "That poor man had to take the agonising decision to save himself," she told BBC Radio Somerset."The waves were too strong." 'It was a fight' Rev Kingdom managed to bring both children back to shore, where paramedics transported them to Musgrove Park Hospital for observation."Even when we think we are being responsible and respectful of the sea, in a flash, things can go wrong," she said. "It was a fight and the sea was determined to take us out further."Minehead RNLI said it sent two lifeboats to the area having heard two children were in trouble in the water."A bystander had bravely rescued the casualties, and all three required assessment for water inhalation," a statement added.
