THERE’s a little-known hack to keep your bedroom cool at night as temperatures rocket to a sweltering 29C this week.
Householders are being advised to keep their attic loft hatch open for the next five days ahead of the upcoming heatwave.
Temperatures are set to reach highs of 29C[/caption]
Met Eireann is warning that Dublin will be one of the hottest counties in Ireland this weekend with temperatures set to soar to highs of 29C.
The forecaster has issued a Status Yellow heat warning for the capital ahead of scorching weekend temperatures.
Friday and Saturday are forecast to be the warmest days in Dublin with temperatures could reach between 24C and 29C.
And issuing the alert for Friday, Met Eireann placed Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary under the alert.
They warned: “Maximum temperatures in excess of 27C combined with night-time minima in excess of 15C expected.”
And then for Saturday the entire country has been placed under the alert.
As the temperatures are set to reach sweltering highs, it’s important to know how you can keep cool.
Oftentimes, excessive heat can keep us up at night, taking away our important sleep.
But there’s a little tip that can help with that.
By leaving your attic hatch open in the leadup to a heatwave, you can actually reduce the amount of hot air held in your bedrooms that prevents you from sleeping.
‘INTENSE WEATHER EXTREMES’
When a house heats up, the warm air most often gets stuck on the second floor.
This is where most bedrooms are, so they tend to be the hottest.
By opening your attic hatch, you are allowing air to rise higher, leading it away from your bedrooms.
This can help to bring the overall temperatures down, allowing you to sleep peacefully.
This was found by experts at the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0, which is home to the most expansive climate simulation chamber in the world.
They have partnered with Barratt Redrow to explore how households can combat the hot summers brought on by global warming.
Oliver Novakovic from Barratt and David Wilson Homes said: “The country is seeing more frequent and intense weather extremes due to climate change.” As part of this, there is an increasing risk of overheating, even during cooler summers, which has a detrimental effect on wellbeing.
“We’re working with the University of Salford to test new technologies alongside simple methods of reducing overheating and improving air quality, so the homes that are built in the next 10 or even 50 years can cope with rising temperatures.”
He also recommends keeping curtains and windows closed until temperatures outside start to cool down to prevent hot air entering, and switching to low-energy LED lightbulbs as they produce less heat.
Keeping electricals off is a win in two ways, as not only does it reduce heat buildup, but it can also bring down your energy bills.
And if you have to use bigger appliances like washing machines and dryers, try to use them when it’s coolest outside to prevent more heat building up.
