Keeping the house cool during the heatwave

[Andrew1395]

I have a garden shed that gets very hot. I wonder if painting the felt white would help? The loft is even hotter 45C at 20.00 last night. Have put a fan on a timer to try and dissipate The heat and cool it down up there.

Fortunately the house faces NNE at the front and SSW at the rear, and have the option to work and sleep in the front. So its not too bad. It’s an Edwardian house, and i spent a fortune insulating the walls and floors getting it more energy efficient. But each summer it does get too warm in the back half. Air Con seems an expensive option. Presumably new builds get the insulation and drought balance right to keep the energy bills down and the comfort levels right.

 

[alxndr]

Does anybody open their loft trapdoor to cool the house at night?

I thought about it, zapped the hatch with an IR thermometer and thought better of it!

 

[The Lad]

But depending on the loft ventilation it might act as a chimney and move air out of the house. If it is just eaves vents it may not have as much effect.

 

[MattA7]

Anyone feel the need to close the windows when it gets dark to avoid insects that are attracted to light (moths,flying spiders etc) flying in

 

[JonasB]

Keep the windows and curtains closed during the day to keep the hot air out. In the evening as it gets cooler, open all windows and allow the house to cool down. Using that simple method I've managed to keep my flat 4-5°C cooler than the outside today.

 

[eMeS]

For the first time, I'm running a small fan pointing at my TV chair. It's helping a little. Earlier I felt that the humidity was rising.

 

[MattA7]

Keep the windows and curtains closed during the day to keep the hot air out. In the evening as it gets cooler, open all windows and allow the house to cool down. Using that simple method I've managed to keep my flat 4-5°C cooler than the outside today.

is there a way to try and avoid insects like moths and flying spiders from coming in. Especially as there are a lot of them in my area.

 

[JonasB]

is there a way to try and avoid insects like moths and flying spiders from coming in. Especially as there are a lot of them in my area.

Some kind of insect net? It is not a problem where I live, but in areas where it is some kind of net will solve the problem in my experience.

 

[eMeS]

is there a way to try and avoid insects like moths and flying spiders from coming in. Especially as there are a lot of them in my area.

Many insects fly towards a light, so keeping the lights off where you have open windows may help.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

is there a way to try and avoid insects like moths and flying spiders from coming in. Especially as there are a lot of them in my area.

Net curtains?

 

[MattA7]

Net curtains?

might be a idea hadn’t thought of that. Thanks

 

[alxndr]

is there a way to try and avoid insects like moths and flying spiders from coming in. Especially as there are a lot of them in my area.

Definitely get a net. Got insect nets taped up on both upstairs windows at the moment so they can be open at night without being bothered.

 

[C J Snarzell]

Has anyone forgot about the long heatwave we had three years ago (2018)?

It was barmy weather, with no rain for at least three months (April - July).

CJ

 

[birchesgreen]

Has anyone forgot about the long heatwave we had three years ago (2018)?

It was barmy weather, with no rain for at least three months (April - July).

CJ

I mentioned it earlier

 

[DelayRepay]

Does anybody open their loft trapdoor to cool the house at night?

I thought about this, but for reasons which I don't really understand, whoever designed this house put the loft hatch inside a fitted wardrobe. So opening it is a real pain involving moving clothes out of the wardrobe then trying to squeeze a small step ladder in. And not ideal as the dust ends up in the wardrobe.

I really need to get it moved. It makes the loft useless for storage and is always a problem if I or a workman needs to get up there for maintenance. It's also tiny which means anyone 'large' is likely to get stuck!

It must have been moved at some point as the previous owner left a few things up there that are actually impossible to fit through the hatch (a wallpaper pasting table, for example).

Has anyone forgot about the long heatwave we had three years ago (2018)?

It was barmy weather, with no rain for at least three months (April - July).

CJ

Yes, I remember that. That's when we had the moorland fires in the North West, I think?

 

[Dai Corner]

I thought about this, but for reasons which I don't really understand, whoever designed this house put the loft hatch inside a fitted wardrobe. So opening it is a real pain involving moving clothes out of the wardrobe then trying to squeeze a small step ladder in. And not ideal as the dust ends up in the wardrobe.

I really need to get it moved. It makes the loft useless for storage and is always a problem if I or a workman needs to get up there for maintenance. It's also tiny which means anyone 'large' is likely to get stuck!

It must have been moved at some point as the previous owner left a few things up there that are actually impossible to fit through the hatch (a wallpaper pasting table, for example).

I'd hazard a guess that the wardrobe was fitted some time after the house was built and the hatch made smaller as part of that.