logo
Another heatwave has hit the UK – here's how to keep cool

Another heatwave has hit the UK – here's how to keep cool

Independenta day ago
It's been an uncharacteristically hot summer at home – and it's not over yet, with another heatwave hitting the UK this week.
The fourth heatwave of the summer could see temperatures of up to 34C, with yellow heat health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency for most of England, except the north-east and north-west region.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told The Independent: 'The heatwave is looking likely to last the rest of the week. Beyond that, it should be a bit cooler.'
Ahead of the heatwave, we've compiled the top tips for keeping cool. When you're out and about, basking in the sunshine, loose fabrics and even an electrolyte drink may be enough to keep you cool and hydrated, but when you're cooped up inside, with the sun beating through your windows, you may just need to call in the big guns.
But there are lots of different cooling techniques out there, and plenty of urban myths, such as drinking hot drinks to cool down. On top of that, there are lots of cooling products and tons of jargon. You might not know air coolers from air conditioners or the difference between tower fans and pedestal fans. That's why we spoke to the experts about the best ways to stay comfortable at your desk and sleep breezily through the night.
What qualifies as a heatwave?
In the UK, an official heatwave occurs when a given area reaches a temperature threshold for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C, depending on where you're located across the country, explains Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Tony Wisson. In London, for instance, the threshold is 28C, in Aberdeen it's 25C.
How to stay cool at home
According to Met Office advice, when temperatures soar, we should try to keep out of the sun between 11am to 3pm, when the UV rays are strongest. To stay cool indoors, 'close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler'.
Alex Atkinson, air conditioning technician at Super Brothers, recommends 'minimising the use of ovens, stoves, or dryers during the hottest periods, alongside keeping hydrated and having cool showers throughout the day' to help take the edge off.
If you've drawn the curtains, pulled the blinds down, and taken all the cool showers you can stomach, and you're still not feeling comfortable, it may be time to bring in a little extra help.
Luckily, there are plenty of additional devices and tools that we can purchase to help keep our homes cool, and we've reviewed some of the best on the market.
Fans
A fan goes a long way to make a room feel less stuffy – but where you position it can make a big difference. Shawn Navarednam, an environmental care design engineer at Dyson, says that 'for circulation and cooling purposes, fans should point towards you or the inside of the room. Additionally, cooler air is denser and accumulates at the bottom of the room, so keeping your fan near the ground to sweep the cold air up will help.'
The Vortex air cleanse (£164.99, Vortexair.co.uk) took the top spot in our review of the best fans. It 'combines a sleek design with powerful performance at great value. It cools and heats quickly, is energy efficient, thanks to a smart thermostat, and will slot seamlessly into pretty much any home,' praised our tester.
If you're looking for a quiet fan, we'd recommend Duux's whisper flex smart fan (£169.99, Amazon.co.uk). It has 30 speed settings and multiple modes, including natural wind mode, which our tester found to be 'noticeably different from the usual blasting air you find in most fans' and a much more relaxing experience.
Portable fan
If you're looking to cool down on the commute or even at the pub, you need one of the best portable fans. The next generation of these devices are quiet, surprisingly powerful and multipurpose, from handheld to wearable fans (a world away from the flimsy fans you impulsively buy on holiday).
Portable fans can almost rival a tower fan, and one comes surprisingly close to functioning like an air conditioner or an air cooler. Senior tech critic Alex Lee has tested a whole host of different options and found the best portable fans for every need.
The Commem turbo fan (£7, Amazon.co.uk) took the top spot in his review. 'It's the most powerful handheld fan I've tested to date, delivering such intense airflow that I've actually had to switch it off just to take a breather,' Alex said. 'The top speed genuinely feels like sitting in front of a small desk fan – it's that strong.'
Air cooler
A midpoint between a portable ACs and a fan, the best air coolers. Where fans push air around the room, air coolers use chilled water and ice to introduce cooler air to a room. They're not quite as effective as portable ACs, but they're much cheaper.
Senior tech critic Alex Lee put the Igenix 10l smart digital air cooler IGFD7010WIFI (was £129.00, now £109, Currys.co.uk) among others to the test and described it as a 'work of art'. It did a 'good – if slightly basic – job of cooling down hot rooms'. While it's reduced to £109, it's the perfect addition to your home ahead of the potential heatwave.
Bedding
Getting a full night's sleep in a heatwave may sound like an impossible dream, but there are some ways of keeping cool in bed.
Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of Simba's charity partner, The Sleep Charity, says you should try 'spreading out as much as you can, like a starfish, as it can help to circulate air around your body better and encourage heat to escape, as you sleep.' It might also seem counterintuitive, but rather than having a cold shower before bed, Lisa suggests taking a warm shower right before bed. 'The warm water makes our body heat up, and then, when we get out of the shower, a rapid drop in temperature cools our body down.'
Similarly, it's worthwhile to reconsider your bedding during the summer months. Our resident sleep expert and IndyBest assistant editor, Sarah Jones, found Simba's summer hybrid duvet (from £129, Simbasleep.com) to be the best summer duvet. Even during a muggy, no-breeze night, where sleep usually feels impossible, 'I didn't wake up drenched in sweat or tossing around trying to find a cool spot,' she wrote.
We'd also recommend trying Panda's bamboo mattress topper (£86, Pandalondon.com), which took the top spot in our review of the best cooling mattress toppers. IndyBest tester Lois Borny noted that the 'gel-fused memory foam is engineered to be cooler than regular memory foam, containing gel capsules that draw heat from the body, while extra space allows heat to escape'.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Telford gorse fire prompts dry weather safety plea
Telford gorse fire prompts dry weather safety plea

BBC News

time22 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Telford gorse fire prompts dry weather safety plea

Fire crews have tackled a blaze across a large area of gorse and grass near Telford, prompting warnings to the public to take extra care during the current engines were sent to Woodside where crews on Tuesday afternoon used beaters and hose jets to fight flames on a space measuring 200 metres by 100 alerts to the fire service had included a blaze in trees and undergrowth thought to have been started by a discarded cigarette, and another alert over a Woodside, a specialist crew sent up a drone to check whether the fire had spread further afield, and to look for hotspots. Crews were at the scene from about 12:15 BST to 14:15 BST. Tweedale fire station manager Craig Jackson said firefighters surrounded the fire, before crews started damping down."We're asking the public not to take barbecues into the countryside," he said."Please be careful when disposing of glass bottles or cigarettes and please do not have bonfires during this dry period." Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said on social media: "Thanks to the hard work of all crews involved, today's fire was brought under control."We'd like to remind the public to take extra care during dry conditions — even small sparks can cause large fires."Please dispose of cigarettes responsibly and ensure campfires are fully extinguished before leaving." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Temperatures hit 33.4C as UK enters fourth heatwave
Temperatures hit 33.4C as UK enters fourth heatwave

The Independent

time24 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Temperatures hit 33.4C as UK enters fourth heatwave

Wildfires have started and health alerts have come into force as the country enters its fourth heatwave of the summer – with temperatures reaching 33.4C in places. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of possible deadly effects as it issued heat health warnings for all of England. On Tuesday, readings of 33.4C were recorded in Benson, Oxfordshire, Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, and Northolt in west London. Amber warnings are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England, London and the South East until Wednesday, with yellow warnings in place for the remainder of the country. The agency has warned of significant impacts across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. Wildfires, which are already commonplace in Europe, have been reported in two areas of London. Eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters have been called to tackle a grass fire near Arnold Road in Northolt, Ealing, with about seven acres of grass, trees and shrubland reported to be alight. And 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters were called to a fire covering 10 acres of grassland by Wanstead Flats in Redbridge, according to the London Fire Brigade. It said the second fire was brought under control at 3.30pm, while the first continues. The brigade had to tackle a fire in the same location in Redbridge on Monday, which required eight fire engines, and last month, in which an area of 14 acres was affected. The Met Office had said the heat will peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which temperatures are expected to reach 34C in southern areas, West Midlands, Wales and eastern England including Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and East Anglia. Temperatures should begin cooling by Thursday, with highs of 29C to 30C expected in London and East Anglia and a potential for heavy and thundery showers, particularly in northern England, with even a possibility of a weather warning. Dan Suri, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: 'During Wednesday daytime, temperatures could peak at 34°C, with the heat shifting eastwards into east England, while parts of Scotland could also see temperatures above 30°C. 'By the evening, there is an increased risk of thunderstorms across northern areas, with the potential for some fairly wet weather. Whilst the exact location for these unsettled conditions remains uncertain, it's possible a warning may be issued closer to the time.' The Met Office defines a heatwave as temperatures meeting or exceeding a certain threshold for three consecutive days or more. This is 25C for most of the UK, but rises to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher. On Tuesday, officials warned that England is suffering from 'nationally significant' water shortfalls despite rain in July. The national drought group, which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies and other organisations, has met as five areas of the country remain in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status. England is seeing widespread environmental and agricultural impacts from the lack of water, which is hitting crop yields, reducing feed for livestock, damaging wetlands and river wildlife, and increasing wildfires, the group said. In 2023, the cost of farm fires in the UK increased by 37% to an estimated £110.3 million, according to the NFU Mutual's latest data. Rachel Hallos, vice-president of the National Farmers' Union, said: 'Farmers are on the front line of this crisis, but we can't tackle this alone. 'It's vital that Government and fire services work with us on prevention, education and response and urgently review whether some changes in land management – particularly in the uplands – could be increasing wildfire risk as hotter, drier summers become more frequent.' A campaign group has called on the Government to create better climate adaptation plans. Alison Dilworth, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: 'Heatwaves are becoming deadlier and more frequent as climate change accelerates, yet government action to help protect people falls far short of what is required. 'Ministers must urgently strengthen their climate adaptation plans to protect communities from increasingly severe weather events like extreme heat – as well as do more to cut the emissions that are fuelling the crisis. 'This should include insulating homes, schools, and care facilities to stay cool in summer and warm in winter, planting street trees to shade our neighbourhoods, and fitting libraries and community hubs with air con so people have safe places to shelter in heatwaves.' A spokeswoman for Defra responded: 'Alongside becoming a clean energy superpower, the Government is taking robust action to adapt to a changing climate. 'The national adaptation programme includes steps to make local communities become more resilient to overheating, a Local Advisory Climate Service to give authorities support and we're putting £30 billion into improving hospital buildings. 'We urge people to take extra care in the hot weather with building regulations in place to reduce the risk of new homes overheating and housing tenants can speak to their council if excess heat means that their property is in a dangerous condition.'

Three grass fires tackled in 24 hours in London heatwave
Three grass fires tackled in 24 hours in London heatwave

BBC News

time24 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Three grass fires tackled in 24 hours in London heatwave

Three grass fires have been tackled by London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews in 24 hours as the capital records the UK's highest temperature of the day at 33.3C (91F).About 70 firefighters in 10 fire engines tackled a fire at the Wanstead Flats parkland in north-east London on Tuesday.A grass fire had been put out in the same area the previous evening. A further 60 firefighters also put out a grass fire of about three hectares (7.4 acres) in Northolt, west London, on Tuesday afternoon. An LFB spokesperson said on the Wanstead Flats fire: "Approximately four hectares (9.8 acres) of grassland were alight. "Firefighters have [been] working efficiently to bring the fire under control. However crews will remain on scene this afternoon to fully extinguish the fire and dampen down."The fire in Northolt was brought under control by 16:00 BST. Northolt was also the location to record the country's highest temperature on Tuesday, according to the Met Office. Sites in London are among several across southern England, the Midlands and East Anglia that have now met heatwave criteria, having seen three consecutive days above their threshold temperatures.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store