As the sun hits South Wales, a Barratt Homes housing expert reveals seven tips for cooling homes in a heatwave

During the summer months when temperatures soar, staying cool can be challenging, particularly when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.

With the UK experiencing more frequent weather extremes — and areas of South Wales already recording temperatures of up to 31 °C this week — Barratt Homes South Wales team is sharing expert advice on how homeowners can keep their homes cooler during heatwaves.

The advice is tried and tested by the wider Barratt Group, which is currently working with the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0 — the world’s largest climate test chamber — to test how homes can withstand hotter summers caused by climate change.

To help homeowners, Oliver Novakovic, Head of Innovation at Barratt David Wilson Homes, has provided seven expert tips for keeping your home cool during a heatwave:

1. Close curtains and windows — while it may be tempting to open your windows to allow ‘fresh air’ into the home, it’s more beneficial to keep them closed during the hottest parts of the day. This is especially true for any south-facing windows as these will be exposed to the sun for most of the day.

 At the time of day when temperatures are highest, draw the curtains to keep the sun out, and close the windows to keep out hot air. Then, as it gets cooler, you can open windows and doors – preferably at opposite sides of the house – to let in some fresh air flow through. Early morning or late evening is the best time to do this.

At Energy House 2.0, Barratt is also testing a solution called Loxone, a smart home system that effectively runs your home. One of its smart features is that it can sense when the outside temperature is rising and automatically closes curtains and blinds to shade the house and switches on a mechanical ventilation system to reduce overheating.

2. Lift the loft hatch — as the hot air rises in your home, it can often get trapped on the second floor, where you may be trying to sleep. Opening the loft hatch can allow the air to rise further and away from your bedroom.

3. Turn-off the electricals — not only could this reduce energy bills, but it could also help reduce heat build-up in the house. Electronics such as televisions, computers, gaming consoles, and even phone chargers can produce heat, especially when used for extended periods.

 Large appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, and ovens all generate heat during operation. Try to use these appliances strategically during cooler parts of the day, like early mornings or evenings.

4. Switch to LED lightbulbs — 90% of the energy given out by traditional, incandescent light bulbs is heat, and whilst this may not seem a lot, it can contribute to a room’s ambient temperature. One way to cool down a room is to switch-off any lights that you don’t need, or even better, switch to low-energy LED light bulbs. These waste less heat, keeping your room a bit cooler, are more environmentally-friendly, and waste less money on bills.

5. Add a ceiling fan — while ceiling fans don’t directly cool the air, they can be a less expensive and more sustainable way to create a wind chill effect than air conditioning. As air circulates across your skin, a ceiling fan draws away heat, making you feel cooler. Alternatively, using a freestanding fan costs about 20p-40p for continuous use over a 24-hour period, according to the Energy Saving Trust. There are options on the market now that are quieter, so can be used at night.

Oliver explains: “you can get your fan to work smarter by putting it in front of an open window to encourage the fresh air from outside to be blown throughout the room — if it is cooler outside.”

6. Improve air quality — as hotter summers are predicted in the future, you could invest a bit more in a mechanical ventilation system to improve internal air quality. While these systems don’t directly cool a house in the same way as air conditioning, they can help to reduce overheating and maintain a comfortable temperature in the summer months, are typically quiet and lower carbon.

7. Green it up — by planting shrubs and plants around your house, you not only support wildlife, it could cool down your house and help to prevent flooding by increasing water run-off. By adding indoor plants, you can also benefit from their air-cooling qualities. Through a process called transpiration (where water flows upwards through a plant, from the soil to the leaves and stem), they can cool the surrounding air. Common houseplants such as snake plants, peace lilies, and spider plants are all great choices for this.

Oliver Novakovic, Head of Innovation at Barratt David Wilson Homes, said: “The country is seeing more frequent and intense weather extremes due to climate change. As part of this, there is an increasing risk of overheating, even during cooler summers, which has a detrimental effect on wellbeing. We’re working with the University of Salford to test new technologies alongside simple methods of reducing overheating and improving air quality, so the homes that are built in the next 10 or even 50 years can cope with rising temperatures.”