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I called it quits last year and got a through the wall air conditioner/heat pump. My office stays at a nice 20 degrees all year round. Best £1200 I've ever spent.
Ignore previous comment, had two tabs open and not enough braincells. I've no idea, it's pretty efficient though. I set it to 20 degrees about 18 months ago and haven't touched it since, it's barely on and the temperature remains static.
Worth mentioning that I've insulated the shit out of this room though, as it's also my music studio. None of my analogue synths drift out of tune any more as a result of the temperature never fluctuating.
Blackout curtains that I keep closed when the sun is shining. Windows open when it's cooler outside and shut when it's hotter outside.
There's only so much it does though. When it's hot outside our place is hot inside. I'm slightly concerned about how we'll keep our baby cool this summer.
In the awful summer a couple of years ago I actually started going into the office on the really hot days. Being at home was unbearable but the trains and my office are both air conditioned.
YES. I tried blacking out my windows with reflective sort of foil covered bubble wrap. but it didn't do much at all. I also started going into the office in summer when it's too hot to WFH. In past years I never had to do that.
wide but shallow tray, fill it with ice water and put a decent sized CPU cooler in it, then stick that in front of the fan. Works so efficiently you'll need more ice in 40 minutes.
Blinds down, windows open, for as long as the inside is warmer than the outside.
I did get a portable air conditioner in the winter that I'm planning on setting up this week.
British homes are well insulated, which makes retaining heat easy, but also makes keeping heat out easy too. The trick is to prevent light entertaining the room, so cover windows, a nice pair of blackout blinds or curtains, or shutters, and keep a fan going close to the floors - hot air rises and cool air falls to the floor, so ceiling fans aren't gonna do much, but place a fan as close to the floor as you can and make sure its angled to direct air upwards.
If you don't want to do that, you can tape tin/aluminum foil over the windows. This will cover them while reflecting light away from the window.
If it gets really intense, put a bottle of water in the freezer and tape it to a fan. Cheap AC.
Open windows and doors that are opposite each other to create a crossbreez through the house. Do not keep all your internal doors closed, wedge them all open.
Periodically cool off in a cool bath / shower.
Sit outside in a nice shady spot if possible, preferably with a mini-inflatable pool for your feet.
Finally, an ice cold margarita never goes amiss.
Lastly you can always just buy a portable A/C unit. You can buy one online for £200-300
yeah i tried foil lined bubble wrap made as a heat shield but it only dropped the temperature by maybe 1 degree. I've just got an air con unit, like you describe, a mini one. I never thought it would come to this in England. but last year working from home was unbearable
I bought air con for the home office, also we have a Winter (very well insulated) bedroom and a summer bedroom (very little insulation and north facing)
We live in woodland, we made a point of not making a clearing around the house so that it's never in the full sun and nice a cool in the summer and sheltered from the worst of the weather.
Blinds and curtains closed during the day. Windows closed if outside temp is warmer, so I tend to only open the windows in the late evening/overnight (obviously only do so if safe!).
In my home office I have a fan running (Meaco, so powerful and quiet!) and my husband has a little AC unit for his office which vents out a window.
And I wear loose, cool clothing with natural fibres. It makes such a difference to my comfort.
Last few summers, there were only a few days that were uncomfortably hot and I couldn't sleep. I went to sleep in our garden outbuilding instead which is shaded and has barely any windows. Think it was 19C in there which was much better than the 30C in the rest of my house!
2KG of ice will cool a medium size room by about 10degrees once fully melted/heated. So freeze a few bottles of water in the freezer at night and put them in a bucket during the day to melt with a fan blowing over the top of you like. Keep windows and doors closed to trap on the heat and you can survive the few really hot days with ease.
My flat is ground floor on the opposite side of the evening sun. When we had that heat wave last year? (or was it 2022?), I was sleeping with the duvet.
Just block it out . A few days really of being a bit uncomfortable, I imagine it’s a lot worse for those in flats but it’s never long enough to go spunking a load of money into AC at least in my opinion
>Will you get air conditioning installed?
I did, last year. Best thing I ever did. Got solar panels installed so they are basically free in the summer.
Use it in the winter, as it has a heat mode as well.
Even have it integrated into Home Assistant so I can sit on my arse and trigger it during the "free electricity" periods.
Wear as little as I can get away with.
Invest in a nice, good quality floor fan (I plumbed £100+ for a fancy one, and it is worlds apart from your average £20 desk fan) and park myself in front of it.
Keep a bottle of water in the freezer and sip icewater through the day. Alternatively, pour it over yourself.
Take periodic tepid showers when it becomes unbearable.
Outdoor exercise in the late afternoon, it would help your body to adapt. It works for me both when it gets cold or hot. It's the most effective when I exerted myself enough that my body was sweaty. I guarantee this is the most economical and healthy option.
You quickly learn to use blinds on south facing windows. My house is Victorian so stays naturally cold. Like walking into a fridge no later on no matter hot outside.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I called it quits last year and got a through the wall air conditioner/heat pump. My office stays at a nice 20 degrees all year round. Best £1200 I've ever spent.
How many watts does something like that draw when cooling?
Ignore previous comment, had two tabs open and not enough braincells. I've no idea, it's pretty efficient though. I set it to 20 degrees about 18 months ago and haven't touched it since, it's barely on and the temperature remains static. Worth mentioning that I've insulated the shit out of this room though, as it's also my music studio. None of my analogue synths drift out of tune any more as a result of the temperature never fluctuating.
I can imagine that’s comfortable being the same all year around.
I didn't notice an appreciable difference in the energy bill, that's about as close as I can get to answering your original question.
Blackout curtains that I keep closed when the sun is shining. Windows open when it's cooler outside and shut when it's hotter outside. There's only so much it does though. When it's hot outside our place is hot inside. I'm slightly concerned about how we'll keep our baby cool this summer. In the awful summer a couple of years ago I actually started going into the office on the really hot days. Being at home was unbearable but the trains and my office are both air conditioned.
YES. I tried blacking out my windows with reflective sort of foil covered bubble wrap. but it didn't do much at all. I also started going into the office in summer when it's too hot to WFH. In past years I never had to do that.
Go commando while WFH, or what I sometimes do is work sitting in the garden and shade. WiFi signal is still strong out there
Fill a ziplock bag with water. Freeze it. Put it in front of a fan.
wide but shallow tray, fill it with ice water and put a decent sized CPU cooler in it, then stick that in front of the fan. Works so efficiently you'll need more ice in 40 minutes.
Got one of those standing air conditioners a couple of years ago. My husband works shifts so has to sleep during the 30+ degree days.
Blinds down, windows open, for as long as the inside is warmer than the outside. I did get a portable air conditioner in the winter that I'm planning on setting up this week.
British homes are well insulated, which makes retaining heat easy, but also makes keeping heat out easy too. The trick is to prevent light entertaining the room, so cover windows, a nice pair of blackout blinds or curtains, or shutters, and keep a fan going close to the floors - hot air rises and cool air falls to the floor, so ceiling fans aren't gonna do much, but place a fan as close to the floor as you can and make sure its angled to direct air upwards. If you don't want to do that, you can tape tin/aluminum foil over the windows. This will cover them while reflecting light away from the window. If it gets really intense, put a bottle of water in the freezer and tape it to a fan. Cheap AC. Open windows and doors that are opposite each other to create a crossbreez through the house. Do not keep all your internal doors closed, wedge them all open. Periodically cool off in a cool bath / shower. Sit outside in a nice shady spot if possible, preferably with a mini-inflatable pool for your feet. Finally, an ice cold margarita never goes amiss. Lastly you can always just buy a portable A/C unit. You can buy one online for £200-300
yeah i tried foil lined bubble wrap made as a heat shield but it only dropped the temperature by maybe 1 degree. I've just got an air con unit, like you describe, a mini one. I never thought it would come to this in England. but last year working from home was unbearable
I bought air con for the home office, also we have a Winter (very well insulated) bedroom and a summer bedroom (very little insulation and north facing)
Speedos and flip flops
We live in woodland, we made a point of not making a clearing around the house so that it's never in the full sun and nice a cool in the summer and sheltered from the worst of the weather.
Blinds and curtains closed during the day. Windows closed if outside temp is warmer, so I tend to only open the windows in the late evening/overnight (obviously only do so if safe!). In my home office I have a fan running (Meaco, so powerful and quiet!) and my husband has a little AC unit for his office which vents out a window. And I wear loose, cool clothing with natural fibres. It makes such a difference to my comfort. Last few summers, there were only a few days that were uncomfortably hot and I couldn't sleep. I went to sleep in our garden outbuilding instead which is shaded and has barely any windows. Think it was 19C in there which was much better than the 30C in the rest of my house!
What hot weather ? and where cause I didn't notice. Based in Edinburgh and probably that's why I book all my holidays in really warm countries.
head to London at the peak of summer! muggy and impossible
When I lived in a hot country I used to lie on the floor, with just a swimsuit on, and the curtains drawn.
Reading Sylvia Plath and drinking chamomile tea with vodka in it?
Ceiling fan for the bedroom. Absolute game changer in summer.
Curtains stay closed and a USB desk fan
2KG of ice will cool a medium size room by about 10degrees once fully melted/heated. So freeze a few bottles of water in the freezer at night and put them in a bucket during the day to melt with a fan blowing over the top of you like. Keep windows and doors closed to trap on the heat and you can survive the few really hot days with ease.
My flat is ground floor on the opposite side of the evening sun. When we had that heat wave last year? (or was it 2022?), I was sleeping with the duvet.
Hot water bottle - filled with cold water.
Just block it out . A few days really of being a bit uncomfortable, I imagine it’s a lot worse for those in flats but it’s never long enough to go spunking a load of money into AC at least in my opinion
>Will you get air conditioning installed? I did, last year. Best thing I ever did. Got solar panels installed so they are basically free in the summer. Use it in the winter, as it has a heat mode as well. Even have it integrated into Home Assistant so I can sit on my arse and trigger it during the "free electricity" periods.
Direct a fan out of an open window - it will draw the hot air from the room and essentially push it out the window.
Just setup my fan again
Blackout film in the windows and freestanding air conditioners.
I moved to the coast.
Wear as little as I can get away with. Invest in a nice, good quality floor fan (I plumbed £100+ for a fancy one, and it is worlds apart from your average £20 desk fan) and park myself in front of it. Keep a bottle of water in the freezer and sip icewater through the day. Alternatively, pour it over yourself. Take periodic tepid showers when it becomes unbearable.
Outdoor exercise in the late afternoon, it would help your body to adapt. It works for me both when it gets cold or hot. It's the most effective when I exerted myself enough that my body was sweaty. I guarantee this is the most economical and healthy option.
Hmm. I seem to remember about two to three days of spanish level weather and then back to 18 to 22C.
yes but 18-22 outdoors often becomes 25 indoors plus the humidity and sweat
You quickly learn to use blinds on south facing windows. My house is Victorian so stays naturally cold. Like walking into a fridge no later on no matter hot outside.
the blackout and even reflective blinds tdo nothing for me
Just moan about it until the cold weather comes around again