Green Ways to Keep Your Home Cool for Summer

Ah, Summer in Australia. A time for firing up the barbecue, zinc-ing up your nose, melting your thongs on the side of the road, and cranking the AC to turn the house into a giant freezer box… until you see the power bill at the end of the quarter and cringe. Not to mention the eye-watering environmental cost that comes with it, making you feel doubly bad to boot.

We’ve seen some scorchers lately, and it's just hit February - so you know dang well that there are plenty more heat wave days ahead. There’s still plenty you can do to keep the mercury (and your electricity bill) from rising. Here are some green ways to keep your home cool for Summer.

How to cool your home fast, right now

Before you turn on the power

There’s a lot you can do right now to keep your house cool without breaking the bank, starting with a few minor habit-tweaks.

In the morning and afternoons when the sun is hanging low, take advantage of the cool shadowy air by opening up windows and doors. Not only does this let the cool fresh air in, but it sweeps out the warm, stale air that you’ve been breathing in all night long.  The hottest part of the day is when the sun is high in the sky, which is usually between 9 am and 3 pm. During these times, keep windows and doors closed up (especially north-facing and full-sun) to keep the heat out.

Keep blinds and shutters closed too - but watch out for heavy blackout blinds and curtains. These are designed to block out the light, not the heat. The light backing which is made to reflect light absorbs heat, essentially turning the curtain into a heater. Instead, close internal doors to rooms you aren’t using and utilise draught stoppers to stop cool air from escaping underneath.

Cool your body first, naturally

Sometimes it isn’t the room that’s hot, it’s you. Before you blame your surroundings for your uncomfortably hot bod, try to cool yourself down naturally first.

Use cool compresses on your neck and short, cool showers to reduce your body temperature. Only have a minute? Pop your feet in a bucket of cold water or run your wrists under a cool tap. Your hands and feet have the highest blood flow in your whole body, and cooling them just a fraction can reduce your overall temperature by a lot. Keep yourself cool by choosing loose-fitting, breathable clothing made from natural materials like cotton. Synthetic fibres aren’t breathable, trapping heat and sweat - your body’s natural cooling mechanism.

Another way to drop your temp is through the food and drink you consume. Opt for cold foods like salads and cold meats. Eat outside if you can, and avoid using the oven. Need to cook? Fire up the barbecue outside instead.

At night, don’t swelter in the dark. Pack away heavy winter duvets and opt for lightweight cotton bedding. Try sleeping with just the sheet on, or go for a thin blanket. And you know that trusty hot water bottle you stashed away for winter? The same principle applies, but in reverse - fill it with water and freeze it. Before bedtime, put it at the end of your bed for instant cool feet.

Become a fan of fans

When you think of home cooling, most people automatically imagine air conditioning. But the underdog of the cooling world is the ceiling fan. And we’re big fans of fans.

The cheapest (and most energy-efficient) air conditioner money can buy is a fan. They use between one-25th and one-50th of the energy used by a small air conditioner, meaning you can use your fan as much as you like without seeing much of an increase in your electricity bill.

Check your fans are switched to Summer and turning anti-clockwise. On the correct setting, your fans should push cool air down instead of drawing it up and away from you.

No ceiling fan? Make a makeshift air conditioner by placing a shallow bowl or dish full of ice in front of a pedestal fan. Make sure to protect against any drips or spills from reaching wiring and power outlets by using towels to keep them safe.

If you must turn on the air conditioner

On the hottest of hottest days, sometimes the AC just can’t be beaten. If you need it that badly, aim to keep it set between 24 and 27 degrees C, or as warm as you feel comfortable. Increasing the air conditioner by just one degree in warm weather can reduce running costs by up to 10%. And besides, 24-27 aint bad when it's 37+ outside.

How you can future-proof your home for a cooler tomorrow

Small changes with big impact

Check your lighting. If you're still running old incandescent light bulbs, swap them out for LED ones instead. Old lightbulbs not only cost more to run but they emit huge amounts of heat too, whereas LEDs are cheaper, more efficient, and stay cool.

And the unsung hero of green home cooling? House plants. Plants act as natural air conditioners, putting cool moisture back into the atmosphere through a process called transpiration. Plants are inexpensive, boost your eco ego, and improve your home aesthetics too - just remember to water them. Dark-leaved indoor plants like peace lilies and rubber plants are best for this.

Bigger changes worth the investment

One of the biggest culprits for unwanted warmth indoors is large, unprotected expanses of walls and windows outside. Exterior walls and windows absorb a lot of heat, so blocking the sun with exterior blinds and awnings, window tinting and large, established potted plants can deflect a lot of that heat before it even touches the house. If you have the space, deciduous trees are great for keeping the heat out in summer with a leafy canopy and letting the warmth in during winter.

Similarly, a home with poor insulation will suffer in both Summer and Winter. Having more insulation installed in your roof can make a big difference to the temperature inside, especially on the upper level of a two-storey building.

An old, clunky air conditioner will cost a small fortune with relatively little output. Inefficiency like that is unnecessary, both for your wallet and the planet. If it’s in your budget, consider upgrading to a new one. New AC units are almost always more efficient, and you can often get away with a smaller wattage than your old unit without compromising on output.

AC out of your budget or doesn’t reach your whole house? Install ceiling fans! For all the reasons we’ve listed above, ceiling fans are a powerhouse when it comes to keeping your home cool in Summer.