Australia is known for its heat and if you’re cringing every time you put on the air conditioning unit because you hate using too much electricity, you’ve landed on the right page. For summer you will need ways to cool down the inside of your house, and we can help get you sorted.
Thanks to innovative ideas as well as modern technology, your options for cooling down a home’s interior are extensive. You can use anything from your bed sheets to light bulbs to skylights Sydney! There’s no reason to increase your carbon footprint any longer and you can look forward to a more comfortable season ahead.
Here are our top eight tips for beating the heat!
Renovation Ideas
Adding a Skylight
The added natural light will help you manage interior temperatures because there will be less reason to switch on artificial lights that can heat up a room. Skylights will work year round meaning you can use your artificial lights less, therefore lowering your electricity bills.
New or Improved Windows
Much of the heat will enter through your windows, so you’ll have a win if you can block some of the sun’s rays. Simply add window film designed to reduce heat or a new set of block-out curtains. Other upgrades that work include awnings or shutters, all preventing sunlight from reaching your interior and heating up floors, furniture and walls.
Use Nature to Your Benefit
Also consider renovation options for outside your home. Redesign your garden and add some greenery. Any shade you create will limit how much the sun heats up the building during the day. Planting foliage or trees in front of the windows is ideal and will also make for a great view!
Decorate to Improve
Keep it Light
Darker colours will absorb more heat from sunlight, so opt for light hues if you’re repainting the house. Even if you only change the colours of sections of a room, such as the sofa cover or the blinds, it will help manage the interior temperature.
Upgrading Curtains
Another way you can change how much your windows affect your interior temperature is changing your window coverings to block-out curtains. This will limit the amount of sunlight entering and heating up objects inside the room.
The right curtains can prevent over 30% of the heat gain you’re used to at the moment. This insulation is another simple investment that you’ll love in winter, because you can use them to keep heat from escaping.
Pick Different Fabrics
Don’t let décor trends cause you discomfort! You’ll find it much easier to fall asleep in summer if you have cotton bedding, rather than a fleece cover that looks inviting in the store.
Optimise the effect during bedtime by also buying cooler pillow options, such as the ones filled with buckwheat. Buckwheat pillows won’t trap a lot of your body heat, resulting in a cooler experience throughout the night, even on hot evenings.
Changing Your Habits
Close the Doors
It’s much easier managing the temperature in a smaller space, so look for ways you can make your home smaller. For example, close the doors to rooms you’re not using, so the heat emanating from them doesn’t affect you in your bedroom or living room.
This is also an effective way of limiting HVAC usage if you do need to switch on your unit. The space you’re in will cool down much quicker if you limit the area that unit needs to impact.
Sleep and Eat Somewhere Else
Because warm air rises, you’ll often feel the top floor rooms feel stuffier and warmer than the lounge below. If you’re really suffering in summer, consider sleeping on the bottom floor, whether you use the couch or transform a study into a temporary bedroom. At the very least you can place your mattress on the floor, and you may already feel a difference.
The appliances you use all generate some heat, but your stove and oven are the biggest culprits of all. Find ways to avoid having to switch it on for dinner time, such as cooking meat outside on the grill or opting for a summer salad instead of the usual cooked meal.
[Conclusion]
There are multiple ways to cool down buildings that are helpful for your budget while avoiding using too many natural resources. Try implementing some of the above suggestions and you could be relaxing in comfort during the hottest of Sydney days.
Leave a comment below if you have more tips for other homeowners!