In this post, we’ll discuss why your house is too hot in summer and what you can do to cool things down.
It goes without saying that the root cause of houses getting hot in summer is the weather. In July, the UK has an average daily high of 21°C, though it can go upwards of 30°C during heatwaves. But even then, it’s hardly scorching. So why is your house too hot?
While the average temperature is comfortable outdoors, it can be less bearable inside your house. With the sun shining on your home, a greenhouse effect can take place – with your house actually getting much hotter than the 20-odd degrees outside.
This applies to three main areas – your walls, windows and roof. Starting at the top, your roof space will heat up when the sun is beaming down on it. The same can happen with any walls in direct sunlight. Finally, your windows will really top things off if you let the sun shine through.
If your house is too hot in the summer, the best course of action is to tackle the three areas mentioned above – as well as improving ventilation. Here’s our advice…
Not convinced that heat is getting through your roof? Go into your loft on a hot day and you’ll see what we mean. If you have insulation on the floor of your loft or underneath the boards, that heat should stay put in the roof space. You can also have insulation installed on your roof’s underside to prevent as much heat getting into your building altogether.
Heat gets through your walls in the same way as it does your roof. The sunlight heats the external surface of the wall, which makes its way through to the internal side. Slowly but surely, that contributes to your home being too hot, unless you have insulation to stop it in its tracks. You can choose from internal wall insulation or an external coating to stop heat passing through at either side.
Windows are great for letting natural light into your home. But that sunlight doesn’t come on its own. In fact, a whopping 76% of it turns into heat after passing through standard double-glazed windows.
To stop it, you can choose to stop the light itself with blinds or curtains (thermally lined ones are best). You can also upgrade your windows with thermally efficient glazing, add UV-resistant secondary glazing on the inside or apply heat-resistant film to the surface of your windows.
Ventilation is key if your house is too hot in summer. But you might find that opening a window doesn’t make a huge difference. Time to try cross-ventilation, which is much more effective.
By opening two windows on opposite sides of a house or room, you’ll create a cross breeze where fresh, cooler air comes in one window and warm, stuffy air escapes through the other.
While most houses already have adequate roof insulation, curtains or blinds, and windows for ventilation, walls are often a weak point. CorkSol can help you put that right with breathable insulation for the inside or outside of your walls.
Want to find out more? Simply give us a call on 01484 442420 or email [email protected]. Our team can answer any questions you may have and put you in touch with a local approved applicator for a quote.
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