How to Keep Your Home Cool for Summer and Reduce Energy Bills

With homeowners being encouraged to consider investing in insulation to combat rising energy prices, people can be safe in the knowledge that taking action will warm their home in winter. 
 

But what happens in the summer to prevent people becoming too hot in a well insulated property? 
 

The team at Dice, civil and structural engineering consultancy, have given some useful tips on how property developers, homeowners, and tenants can ensure homes don’t overheat in the summer - and reduce energy costs. 
 

Wayne Oakes, a Director at Dice said: “It can be a fine balancing act to ensure your home is warm and cosy in winter yet cool in the summer, but it can be achieved.

“There are design factors which can be considered when building or retrofitting a property, which can help reduce the heat impact of the sun inside a home. There are also steps that people living in the house or flat can take to keep cool during hot weather.” 
 

The cost of living crisis in the UK has been exacerbated by soaring gas and electric prices and the Government is encouraging more and more people to insulate their homes ahead of cold winters, in order to retain heat and hopefully reduce their energy consumption.  
 
People can keep the heat in their homes during the winter more effectively by investing in wall cavity insulation, double glazing, loft insulation and floor insulation. 
 

However, recent studies have shown there are major barriers to preventing people taking steps to insulate their homes here in the UK, whether it is because of the cost of the work or because they don’t know how to go about making changes. 
 

Experts feel well insulated homes could save homeowners around £400 on their energy bills each year in winter.  
 
Dice point out that by ensuring a home is cool in the summer, it can also help save on energy otherwise used for air conditioning and fans to combat heat. 
 

Here are some of the tips proposed by Dice: 
 

Housebuilders and developers should consider carefully the orientation of houses to minimise heat from the sun.  
 

This could include making south side windows smaller and north side windows bigger. 
 

It also means investing in good insulation, which sounds counterintuitive as insulation keeps heat in, but if the house is well insulated throughout then it will stop heat moving from sunnier rooms into the rest of the house.  
 

Developers and house builders can also consider using a reflective roof material to stop heat coming in through the roof, and carefully think about what other materials can be used in the roof to minimise the heat.  
 

Homeowners and tenants can also take measures to reduce the impact of the sun’s rays in the summer indoors.  
 

Ideas include closing doors, keeping blinds/curtains closed to block the sun, and making sure ceiling fans are set to rotate anti-clockwise to push cool air down rather than pull the cool air up. https://diceconsult.co.uk/