Alternatives to aircon for cooling house

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Last summer while suffering 27 degree nights in my bedroom I swore to look into ways to make the house cooler before the next summer. Could just get aircon, but wondering if there are cheaper methods.

On those 27 degree nights, the outdoor temperature was actually in the low 20s, with all the windows in the house open how come I couldn't get the temperature down? Was it the walls that had just stored the heat in the day and were keeping it hot? Or was it insufficient air flow?

My house is a 1960s mid-terraced.

Possible options I'm thinking about:

1. outdoor shutters on windows
2. awnings or shades above all windows
3. a velux window in the loft, so if I leave the loft hatch open hot air can escape and a current of air might flow through the house
 
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Insulation. Yes the inside of the house stayed hotter than outside as the house mass (bricks and blockwork) had soaked up all the heat during the day and acts like a storage heater at night.
 
I use the loft hatch method. Unless your eaves are sealed, no velux needed.

CWI also prevents the inside walls getting too hot (or cold)

I have one wall of blocks with no cavity and the difference is striking.
 
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Thanks, I don’t have cwi. Tried opening the loft hatch once and didn’t help at all, boiling in there. Would the above mentioned measures be enough to bring the interior temp down to the same as outside temp (at night)
 
You need to have airflow from the bottom of the house, convection will send the air gushing up like a chimney.

An open door or window will work. The airflow will only stop when the temperatures equalise.
 
On hot nights with no airflow, I find the best thing to cool a single room is to get the biggest fan you can, and rig it up as close to the open window as possible

I have a jerry-rigged sling that holds my fan actually outside, with the air blowing into the room.

Its not instant, but if I run it for a couple of hours once its dark, it makes a noticeable difference
 
Thanks, I don’t have cwi. Tried opening the loft hatch once and didn’t help at all, boiling in there. Would the above mentioned measures be enough to bring the interior temp down to the same as outside temp (at night)

Stopping the walls getting hot in the first instance will make the most difference by far. Prevention better than cure and all that. So if no cavity wall insulation, I'd remedy that first if possible.
 
The cheapest option is to do nothing. You'd barely get a few hot days a year. Grin and bear is all you need. Have a fan on, and a damp towel to wipe on skin. You'd be cool as a cucumber in no time.
 
Our bedroom with wall to wall windows which is in full sun from midday onwards gets like a sauna. Over the years we’ve tried ceiling fans, pedestal fans, keeping the curtains and blinds closed during the day, all of which have been pretty ineffective. Last few years we’ve found that a Dyson tower fan and just a sheet on the bed works for us.
 
if rooms get blasted with afternoon sun, close the curtains or blinds. Some sort of canopy on the outside the shade the window helps too. Fans definitely help to cool you (but not the room).
 
Or, as it's probably cheaper and more effective - just buy an aircon unit?
 
During the day, at least for the first few days of the 'heat', I aim to keep windows and doors shut and use blinds, only opening them when the temperature outdoors is cooler than indoors - letting heat out, but preventing it coming in as much as possible. I sometimes open the loft door, its Velux and a downstairs window, so the house acts as a chimney, drawing cooler night air through.

If that is not enough, I might add a large desk fan in a bedroom window and sleep on top of the bed. Another trick, with windows open to let out moist air, is to hang wet towels in front of a large fan. Evaporation can cool the air down by several degrees.
 

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