Hi there, time to share ways to keep your home cool during hot times
So ok, usual ways I use:
- open everything during night
- close everything during day
- external sheets on windows without shutters
- some curtains to prevent heat from going upstairs
I was also wondering if plants could also help inside, any ideas ?
Share your advices !
Lose weight. I’m totally serious. Thin people have much higher natural tolerance for heat.
It’s no coincidence that so many developed countries have become addicted to AC. The fact is that most people there are now overweight and in many (USA most obviously) over 40% are literally obese. Conversely, AC is much less common in places like France and Japan, and it’s not just because they’re too cheap.
If you want to stay cool in a heatwave, it helps not to be wearing a blubber overcoat that you can’t remove.
I gain weight this winter. I have such a trouble cooling down the part of my body that gain the weight. It is hard…
I assure you that practically every household in Japan has an air conditioner these days. Maybe not some decades ago but things have changed, including the climate. And companies are legally required to keep offices at no higher than 28°C, too.
Offices in all countries have AC, the question is about homes. I doubt “practically every household” in Hokkaido has AC. Here in northern Europe, very few do.
My office in Southern Germany doesn’t have AC, even though it should. It’s the hottest part of Germany.
Every home I have visited in Japan over the past two decades has had A/C units. You may be right that in regions where it is very cold an A/C unit may not be necessary. However, as heat pumps are one of if not the most energy efficient ways to not only cool but also heat a home, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them even in colder regions.
Add on the fact that houses in Japan are generally considered a depreciating asset, so until recently demolitions and new construction were favored over renovations, I stand by my first statement.
Additionally, every place I have ever rented has come with at least one A/C unit, and additional holes are predrilled in other rooms so that split systems can be installed.
Fair enough. Most of Japan is hotter in summer than northern Europe. Here it has been 35C for much of the last week and domestic AC penetration remains extremely low. There are also quite few fat people, and the two things are probably at least a little bit connected.
I don’t disagree that people who are overweight will feel hotter. The rainy season makes it feel hotter than just the temperature here, too. Buildings here are probably more poorly insulated, too.
How is losing weight going to help right now? They can hardly lose enough weight in time for the next heatwave.
Or maybe they’re in the menopause.
Or maybe it’s 50C out.
Or maybe they’re on one of the plethora of medications that causes heat intolerance.
Or maybe they’re elderly.
AC is horrifically expensive (energy bills) and terrible for the environment, by the way. People aren’t cheap, they can’t afford it.
I found it good advice. We don’t know every detail about OP life. Of course, some example won’t apply but that’s fine.