2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
Scorching heat, high humidity index, heat wave… when these words come up over and over in the media and you struggle to take two steps without wanting to collapse, there is no doubt: summer is the. How to survive there, without air conditioning?
In Quebec, not all households have air conditioning (only 142% of them have an air conditioner). Even if the body has the ability to adapt to climatic variations, the onset of heat waves is so sudden that it is almost impossible to cross them without suffering.
To better manage the temperature inside the apartment and house, without an air conditioner, all you need to do is change a few habits and put some simple tips into practice.
Leave the sun out
At all costs, we want to prevent the sun and the heat from entering the house. This is probably the cornerstone of a good anti-heat strategy. So, during the day, we close the curtains and the shutters. Ideally, these would be very thick to let in only a minimum of rays. During the heat wave, we live in darkness.
Trapping the airfresh in the house
Theoretically, the houses are well insulated: in winter, to a certain extent, the cold is not supposed to pass through the walls and windows. The same goes for heat. During the day, the oppressive degrees are left outside by closing all the windows. This traps cool air in the house and lets warm air out.
Create a draft
On the other hand, at nightfall, we open all the windows to allow the freshness to enter our homes. Ideally, create air currents and place fans in front of the windows, so that they expel the hot air outside.
An infallible trick
Day or night, when the humidity is not too present, we turn on the pedestal fans (or those in the ceiling), we hang wet towels and we place bowls of ice water in the room. You can also use an atomizer and spray all over the place. This little trick will help the air cool down, slowly but surely.
Changing your habits
Many household appliances are great sources of heat. This is the case, among other things, for washing and drying machines, stoves, dishwashers, televisions and light bulbs. On hot days, we change our habits (and honestly, we should try to keep them all year round, it's greener): we hang our clothes on the line or the dryer, we avoid using the stove, we wash the dishes by hand, we leave thelights off (as much as possible) and we leave the TV in favor of a good book.
Sources: 1Statistics Canada
