Finding the chase and cutting to it

One of the big benefits of having a heat pump that doesn’t provide cool air in the house, is the ability to stand in front of the fans while it rips the heat out of the air to heat our hot water. Yes, dear readers, this is what I have been doing in sunny Ipswich as Sol climbed to its zenith over the East Anglian countryside and towns. Standing and enjoying the cold air washing over me as the waste air was expelled from the heat pump.

We’re doing other passive things to keep our cool on this warm (and dry) May bank holiday. Most of them figure in the UK Health Security Agency’s pages on the short heat wave.

Not being lazy, being intentional.

When we lived on an estate, people thought we were lazy not drawing our curtains in the morning. But if you can leave the house in the early morning without opening the drapes and blinds, you get automatic shielding from the sun. I had a friend pop in after work one day and I drew the curtains as they asked whether we had air con. The room was about 18°C despite having a big south facing window because the blinds had shielded the room from the infrared heat.

Keep your windows closed as much as possible during the day. It may seem tempting, but often your house can be several degrees cooler than the outside and all you do opening the window is letting the hot air in.

Drink water and try to eat.

Water allows you to sweat and keep your inner core at a sensible temperature. Plain water is your friend. Salty snacks and sauces can help replace some of the salt you lose in perspiring too. You need around 30-35ml per kg you weigh.

I weigh 69kg, so 69*30ml = 2.07 litres of water a day or 73 fl. oz.

But that total is all the fluid you take in the day, including liquid in your food.

When the temperature gets above 28°C, humans start to struggle, though if we’re being careful and not doing too much, most of us are a way off heat exhaustion.

By the time you get to 35°C, and most people see their metabolism spike. Heart rates increase, stress chemicals are boosted, all in an effort to keep cool. The theory is that this leads to heat exhaustion, the body burning excess energy trying to keep cool. You will need food to power that energy burst.

No such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.

To quote Billy Connolly, what is true in the winter is doubly so in the summer. Clothing can help: ironically, long sleeved tops and trousers can help to wick away sweat and keep you cool. People who are based in hot regions often wear layers of light clothing for this very reason; especially when outside.

Wear light, reflective colours when you’re out in the sun. I love the old movies with armies wearing light colours when in the desert. Many think that is for camouflage: but really it’s because light sandy colours keep the soldiers much cooler. Remember those experiments in science at school? Well, that works out of the classroom too.

Hats and light scarves all help to shield the skin and body from infrared heat from the sun and reflective surfaces. Glasses help prevent eyes from drying out, as well as protecting against glare and UV radiation.

Choose your time of day.

Going outside is best avoided in the UK between 11am and 3pm during May. I would add that if you live by a busy road route, heat from cars can be high between 4pm and 6pm.

Going for a walk before 11am and after 6pm can allow you a kinder time of it to your body.

The same with your car: parking the car in your garage allows the car to start the journey cool, saving energy (petrol, diesel or electricity) on powering up fans and air conditioners.

If you can’t do that, open windows at opposite ends of the car when you first set off can help the car lose heat sooner: I do passenger door front and the window behind the drivers seat. I’ve heard people recommend “wafting the doors” on opposite sides of the car too, but that can be tricky in a car park! Remember to put the windows back up to aid your fuel efficiency when your speed increases. Venting your sunroof can be really useful too for the first five minutes of the journey.

Plans for the rest of the weekend?

A quiet one for us, though I will be keeping an eye out for when the heat pump’s fan is turning and popping out with a chair, a book, and some headphones to enjoy the cool waste air from the heat pump.

Have a lovely break. And remember to wear sunscreen.