Can you cut 1 Tonne of carbon pollution out of your life?
Take the challengeHow are you coping in this heat? Is your house like a Sauna? Ja? We're in the middle of our long hot Summer but instead of sweating it out at home, or resorting to buying a cheap air-con that will cost you a fortune to run, go through this check-list to make sure you have ticked all these boxes to help keep your house cool. You'll be amazed what a difference they make.
PUT SHADES ON YOUR HOUSE: You've got to stop the sun hitting the glass. As soon as the sun shines directly on your windows or skylights, your house is going to heat up like a furnace. Stop it from the outside first with awnings, eaves, shade-cloth or deciduous plants/trees/climbing beans! (Blinds and curtains are OK but don't work that well at keeping out heat unless they are insulated, well fitting and with a pelmet).
FOIL THE SUN: If you can't shade from outside, reflect the heat back out. A great product to do this is called Renshade – it's basically foil laminated cardboard with little holes cut out of it. It reflects most of the heat back outside. Check it out. Cheap and futuristic-looking but it works brilliantly.
SHUT DOWN: Close all windows and doors AS SOON AS the outside temperature gets above the inside. There is no such thing as a refreshing hot breeze.
KNOW WHAT YOUR DEALING WITH: Get yourself an indoor/outdoor thermometer to know how hot it is inside and out and when to be solar active about shutting down and opening up.
DO THE BUBBLE WRAP: Each little bubble of bubble wrap is like a little double-glazed-style window. The air bubble is an insulator stopping the heating getting through the windows to heat up your house. It's not flash but it cheap and works brilliantly. Stick in on the windows/skylights and if you have aluminium frames, stick it onto them as well. The metal frames can conduct lots of heat into your house.
BECOME A FAN OF FANS: Get a fan and sit in front of it/underneath it/with it! Fans use a fraction of the energy of air-conditioners and can just get you through summer.
I MIST YOU: A light spray of mist sprayed on you as you sit/sleep in front of the fan will make you feel almost cold!
SET REALISTIC COLD-GOALS: If you do use an air-con there are a few ways you can run it more efficiently especially if you've done steps 1 -7. Set temperature to around 24'C and turn on a fan. Cool just one zoned-off area. Get the highest star rated one you can afford.
SUCK IT OUT: When outside is cooler than inside, open all the windows and doors and let the cool air in and hot air out. Turning on your extractor fans will help.
GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN: On stinking hot days try to avoid slaving over a hot stove – even turning on the oven or cooking on the cooktop will make your house feel like an oven. Either cook in the cool of the evening or outside.
DRAUGHT-PROOFThere is nothing sexy about putting draught strips on doors and windows but it works a treat at keeping your house a stable temp and stop all that expensively cooled air from leaking out.
Have a cold shower, make yourself an icy cold water or put on a wet shirt and stand in front of the fan. You'll be freezing in no time!
Banner image: Unsplash
If you're still too hot then we suggest whipping up a batch of plant-based "nice" cream to cool you down!
About the author: Lish is Australia's Queen of Green. ABC radio broadcaster, science communicator, and energy efficiency aficionado, she is best known as co-presenter of ABC TV's Carbon Cops. Lish has had an interest in energy efficiency ever since she realised it actually worked. She's the creator of Green It Yourself ,a video-based website which gives simple, step-by-step instruction to do green DIY jobs. She wants to make a green handy-person out of everyone - especially women as we are the ones who notice what needs doing and fixing around the house. And she has discovered it's a much more satisfying chore than doing the washing up!
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