Firstly, the night before, get as much of the heat out of your home as you can, for as long as you can. Bricks have a lot of thermal mass. They take a while to cool down, but also to heat back up. If you can, open an upper most window, and a lower window or door. It creates a chimney effect that pulls the hot air up and out.
Once the temperature starts to rise, close up your home! You want to keep the hot air out, and the cool air in.
I would also recommend getting some super foil insulation. It’s like a stiff, metallic bubble wrap. Put it in your sun facing windows and it will keep the heat out amazingly. I brought some suction cups with a wing nut on the other side. They make mounting and removing it a lot easier.
Lastly, lower the humidity. The humidity turns warm into brain melting. It stops your sweat from being as effective. Don’t use an electric dehumidifier, since they put out heat. The single use ones are more effective. At least for a small room. The lower humidity will make it a lot more comfortable.
For comparison, working in the middle east, I could keep working through a 45°C mid day. In the UK I start to have issues closer to 25°C. The main difference was humidity.
These bits can also help make a portable Aircon unit a LOT more effective. During the 40°C+ heatwave the other year, I needed it for only 1 hour in the afternoon to keep the temperature comfortable for me and my dog.
Install the foil on the outside of the windows if possible. The sun will still heat the air between your window and the foil, raising the temperature in your room, if you install on the inside.
Kitchen foil works just as well. Harder to install, but cheaper. I crafted some sun blinds with tinfoil and cardboard that I use every year.
I can’t stress enough how much is a difference the foil blinds make. Goes from unbearable to comfortable almost immediately.
Installing on the outside is a complete pain in the arse however. The superfoil is reflective enough that the extra gain wasn’t worth the extra hassle. It also looks a lot better from the outside (if it matters to you what the neighbours think).
As for the foil. It works, but is very hard to apply. Milar space blankets are a bit easier, but not much. That’s how I ended up with the super foil. It’s stiff enough to handle, but flexible enough to roll up for storage. A cardboard backing also makes sense, though it would have made storage harder for me.
It’s also worth noting to not leave it up for too long. Cannabis growers use a similar method to try and hide drug labs. You might get a visit from the police (hopefully politely) if it’s up for too long.
Some advice.
Firstly, the night before, get as much of the heat out of your home as you can, for as long as you can. Bricks have a lot of thermal mass. They take a while to cool down, but also to heat back up. If you can, open an upper most window, and a lower window or door. It creates a chimney effect that pulls the hot air up and out.
Once the temperature starts to rise, close up your home! You want to keep the hot air out, and the cool air in.
I would also recommend getting some super foil insulation. It’s like a stiff, metallic bubble wrap. Put it in your sun facing windows and it will keep the heat out amazingly. I brought some suction cups with a wing nut on the other side. They make mounting and removing it a lot easier.
Lastly, lower the humidity. The humidity turns warm into brain melting. It stops your sweat from being as effective. Don’t use an electric dehumidifier, since they put out heat. The single use ones are more effective. At least for a small room. The lower humidity will make it a lot more comfortable.
For comparison, working in the middle east, I could keep working through a 45°C mid day. In the UK I start to have issues closer to 25°C. The main difference was humidity.
These bits can also help make a portable Aircon unit a LOT more effective. During the 40°C+ heatwave the other year, I needed it for only 1 hour in the afternoon to keep the temperature comfortable for me and my dog.
All great advice. Can I just add two details?
I can’t stress enough how much is a difference the foil blinds make. Goes from unbearable to comfortable almost immediately.
Good on both points.
Installing on the outside is a complete pain in the arse however. The superfoil is reflective enough that the extra gain wasn’t worth the extra hassle. It also looks a lot better from the outside (if it matters to you what the neighbours think).
As for the foil. It works, but is very hard to apply. Milar space blankets are a bit easier, but not much. That’s how I ended up with the super foil. It’s stiff enough to handle, but flexible enough to roll up for storage. A cardboard backing also makes sense, though it would have made storage harder for me.
It’s also worth noting to not leave it up for too long. Cannabis growers use a similar method to try and hide drug labs. You might get a visit from the police (hopefully politely) if it’s up for too long.
This. Use a fan to move air - don’t rely on the (probably non-existent, too-hot) breeze.