Whilst Lancaster is a beautiful city, living up north can make us more accustomed to the cold and rain, so when summer and the heat finally hits, we usually start panicking trying to keep yourselves and your Lancaster student house cool!
Here at IPM Lancaster we’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to help you beat the heat:
Keep the sun out:
Make sure to keep out the sun by keeping your curtains or blinds closed during the day. We know the temptation to have the sun streaming in and brightening up the room is there, however this lets the heat in. Keeping the sun out and closing the curtains allows your room to stay cooler, potentially making it easier to sleep at night.
Windows:
Keep your windows open as much as you possibly can as this allows air to move around your home and lets a cool breeze in (if there is one!). Also make sure to keep all your internal doors open to allow the air to move around the house. If you feel comfortable doing so, keeping your windows open at night (when it’s at it coldest) is key in keeping cool in the summer, even if the windows are just on vent.
Invest in a fan:
Fans may initially be a high cost; however, they are totally worth it to help cool down a room, especially at night to help you sleep. Using a fan in the summer is a must, but they can use a lot of energy, and here at IPM Lancaster we want to help you stay within your electricity limit. Putting your fan in the correct place is a top tip for getting the most out of it, otherwise it may just circulate warm air around the room. Apparently if you leave a large bowl of ice in front of your fan, it can help keep the air cool and works like an improvised air conditioner.
Turn off unused appliances:
Keeping appliances switched on unnecessarily may add to the heat, whilst the amount may be minimal, every little bit makes a difference. Using your oven or your stove for extended periods of time is only going to add to the heat in your home as cooking generates excess heat, so if you can use your microwave instead to heat up your food, it would help to minimise heat within your Lancaster student house. Or alternatively make foods that will cool you down, such as salad or cold pasta salad.
Visit the Ovo website to find out more tips and tricks on how to keep yourselves and your Lancaster student house cool.
To keep up to date with all things student housing, student living and IPM Lancaster visit the IPM blog page for more.