How to Keep Your Home Cool During Heatwaves: Ministry of Health Advice

Facing heatwaves calls for sensible strategies to keep the home comfortable. The Ministry of Health advises an important shift in everyday habits: pay close attention to the outdoor temperature. This straightforward measure can quickly improve comfort in your home.

How does natural ventilation work on hot days?

Many people follow a fixed routine for opening features of their homes without checking the weather outside first. Natural ventilation only works properly when it is planned: opening windows without the right criteria often warms your home when this is not wanted.

Avoiding set times is the main way to protect indoor rooms from today’s extreme heat. Regularly checking the thermometer shows when action should be taken, stopping hot air masses from entering and ruining the coolness of your property during the afternoon.

Why does your home stay hot all the time?

Hidden problems with air circulation and the use of blinds can trap heat indoors… Read more

When is the right time to open the windows?

The key to tackling oppressive indoor conditions is to monitor changes in the outdoor climate carefully. The outside temperature must be lower than the reading inside the property, so that the airflow provides genuine, lasting relief to every resident.

If conditions outdoors are still extremely hot, the correct advice is to keep these barriers fully closed. This sensible approach retains the less harsh indoor air, using the building’s thermal inertia to limit the harmful effects of severe seasonal heat waves.

Below is a video from the CHV Noticias YouTube channel explaining the best ventilation practices:

How do blinds help control the indoor temperature?

Blocking direct solar radiation before it reaches the glass sharply reduces heat indoors. Keeping blinds down when the sun is at its strongest acts as an essential protective shield, preventing excessive heat from building up in the main rooms.

This physical barrier stops interior materials from absorbing unnecessary thermal energy throughout a sunny day. Combining closed windows with drawn curtains stabilises the indoor temperature effectively, creating an efficient defence against stifling weather outside without requiring additional electrical energy use.

Essential Heat Kit

Required actions

Consider these three essential steps to improve the climate in your home:

1. Monitor thermometers regularly before opening windows and other openings.
2. Keep blinds completely lowered in direct sunlight.
3. Use the genuine coolness of the night to refresh indoor air.

What risks do tropical nights pose for the home?

During critical periods, the early hours may not provide the cooling urban buildings need. When so-called tropical nights occur, the outdoor temperature remains very high, requiring extra care to prevent stored heat from disrupting the rest of tired residents.

Opening access points based on the time alone is a common tactical error that overheats bedrooms. Carefully checking the apparent temperature outdoors prevents serious mistakes, ensuring that natural ventilation takes place only in weather conditions that are favourable and beneficial to the family’s health.

The main factors to consider before changing how rooms are opened are:

• The actual difference between indoor and outdoor thermometer readings;
• The presence of cool breezes outside;
• Complete blocking of direct sunlight at the windows.

How can the ministry’s guidance be applied in practice?

Being flexible about timing is the central principle of the institution’s new protective recommendations. People should move away from the old habit of opening windows automatically, instead carefully assessing the outdoor temperature to maintain wellbeing at home at all times.

Using straightforward tools such as household thermometers makes it possible to track heat readings accurately. In this way, families can preserve the property’s protective thermal inertia, ensuring indoor spaces are much more pleasant and safe during severe peaks of urban heat.