Tenant Advice: Keeping the House Cool in a Heatwave

It may not seem so in a year that saw our nation buried under inches of snow in March then baked dry by a six-week (and counting) heatwave, but Britain’s climate is typically fairly mild – and our housing stock reflects that. Our European neighbours to the south have houses designed to deal with the heat. British architecture has traditionally been more worried about keeping out the rain.

We may not have heavy shutters on the windows and built in air conditioning, but there are a few measures you can take to prevent a house from becoming stifling.

1. Close the curtains. This may seem counter intuitive on a sunny day, but the sun shining through a window creates a greenhouse effect. Keep blinds and curtains closed in bedrooms during the day when they are unoccupied and the rooms will be cooler at night when you need to use them.

2. Open doors and windows. Take advantage of any though-draft generated by a cooling breeze by opening doors and windows in the rooms you are using.

3. Turn off appliances. Electrical goods radiate heat when in use and the net effect of this is to heat the house further. If you’re not using it, turn it off!

4. Use the Microwave. Many of our furnished properties come equipped with a microwave as well as an oven. Warm a meal in the microwave rather than have the oven on for an hour.

5. Summer Bedding. Light cotton sheets are a godsend in the summer heat. Pack away the duvet for the time being.

6. Makeshift Aircon. Place a bowl of ice in front of a fan and relax as the cooled air is circulated over you. Never drape a damp towel over a fan as this can become a fire hazard as it dries out.

At Pearl Lettings, we do everything in our power to ensure that our tenants are comfortable. We hope that these common sense tips will come in handy for the rest of the summer, but this is the UK – so there are never any guarantees about the weather!

We are always on the lookout for good tenants who will respect the property that they are renting. If you are looking for a rental property in the Norfolk area, please get in touch. You can email us on hello@pearllettings.co.uk.

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