In my last post (Wondering why you have trouble sleeping lately?) I promised I would write about creating a heat refuge (sometimes called a cool refuge) in your home for those exceptional hot nights where it doesn’t cool down enough to sleep.

Given that more hot weather is forecast, I thought I would finish it early to give you a chance to at least take the first steps.

With summer nighttime minimum temperatures increasing even faster than daytime temperatures creating a home heat refuge is desirable in much of Australia, especially during extreme weather conditions.

The recent power blackouts in Victoria show that even if you have ducted air conditioning, when the grid goes down, unless your house is well insulated, the inside temperature can rise quickly to dangerous temperatures.

Ideally you would upgrade your whole house, using a Residential Efficiency Scorecard or an EnerPHit Passive House assessment for guidance.

As an alternative, when doing a Scorecard or EnerPHit assessment I can at no extra cost help you identify a room to serve as a home heat refuge, which in cold weather can double as a cold refuge as many improvements will target both. This is a lot cheaper than upgrading your whole house.
Even if you can’t afford that, the following low-cost ideas could get you started to create a refuge in one room to make your life safer and more comfortable during heatwaves: Most of them will also double for protecting you from cold snaps in winter.

These ideas should be read in conjunction with Wondering why you have trouble sleeping lately?

This should ideally be a room that:

• Is naturally reasonably cool.
• Is large enough to shelter all the home’s occupants.
• Can be isolated from other parts of the house by closing doors.
• A room where you can create good cross ventilation, once it is cooler outside .
• A room that you spend a reasonable amount of time in.
• If you already have air conditioning in one room, that may be a good option if it is large enough.
• Depending on your family situation, a bedroom or lounge are often good options.

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• Plant trees or install outdoor shades (such as pergolas or awnings) to provide natural shade and reduce heat absorption.
• If that is not feasible, consider getting some shade cloth or spare fabric and fixing it outside the window to keep the heat off. This is more effective at keeping the room cool than internal blinds or curtains, although both are worthwhile.
• Use curtains or blinds to block direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. Light-coloured curtain backings can reflect heat away from your home.
• If you can afford it consider high performance windows, add on double glazing or window films.

• Ensure the room has comfortable seating, water, room to sleep in and any necessary medications.
• Minimise electrical and other sources of heat in the room. For example if you need medications kept cool and to cool the water, ideally use a fridge located in another room.

• Ensure the room has LED lights not halogen.

Remember that creating a heat refuge is not only about physical comfort but also about protecting your health. If your home lacks proper cooling, consider finding local facilities (such as shopping centres, libraries or swimming pools) that can serve as cooling refuges during extreme heatwaves.

Stay safe and take care!

To keep informed of my latest posts, sign up for the Energy Saving Newsletter and as a free bonus, get  a 14 page extract from the forthcoming second edition of the book:

'House Taming, How to reduce greenhouse gases in comfort'

Sign up now to the Energy Saving Newsletter.

If you need personalised advice or you are thinking on spending some real money on the refuge, get an energy audit. I guarantee I can cost effectively save you the cost of the audit.

Feel free to leave a comment or question below.

It might not just be you.

In Adelaide the Bureau of Meteorology forecast overnight minima for March to May is for a 76% chance that it is above the historical median and 38% chance of it being unusually warm.

Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick from the University of NSW says that since the mid 50”s overnight minima have been rising faster than daytime maxima.

What this means is that in most of southern Australia and in particular the Adelaide plains, the number of nights that the temperature outside doesn’t drop to sleep temperatures has increased and is likely to continue to increase.

This also means your house doesn’t cool down overnight and if the next day is also hot, the house continues to get even hotter.

​So, what should you do if it is a stinking hot night?

If you have an air conditioner, make sure it is performing as well as possible, see Help, my air conditioner isn't performing!

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• Make sure you are hydrated so that your body can use evaporation to keep you cool.
• Sleep in the coolest room in the house, drag your mattress there.
• Use your air-conditioner if you have one and if you also have ceiling fans in the same room use them as well. (More on getting the best from air-conditioning in a future post.)
• If you don’t have a ceiling fan, buy a pedestal fan. They are less than $100 and cheap ones are $25 or less from Woolworths or Bunnings.
• As soon as it is cooler outside than in, open all your windows except in rooms with an air conditioner running. (If you have an evaporative cooler, you will have opened the windows sufficient to allow the air to exhaust. Note that it can feel cooler outside even if it is actually hotter. So, if you can, use actual temperature measurements, an indoor/outdoor thermometer (Bunnings sell one for under $25). Alternatively, you can use an old-style thermometer (less than $5) and compare it to your weather App. Note, use the actual temperature, not the ‘Feels Like” temperature.
• When using outside ventilation, if possible, open doors between rooms to get a cross flow of air from one side of the house to the other. This is much more effective than simply opening a window in one room. If you need to keep a pet out, consider temporarily putting a pet height barrier, so you can allow the cross ventilation.
• If it is hotter outside close the windows, and all blinds and curtains. If you wake up in the middle of the night, recheck the temperatures as it may have cooled down enough to allow a cooling breeze.
• Minimise heat build-up during the day. If the sun is shining on a window, shade the window, if you have external blinds pull them down, If not consider getting some shade cloth or spare fabric and fixing it outside the window to keep the heat off.
• Take a cool shower or bath before bed and if you wake up and can’t go back to sleep.
• Try a wet cloth draped over you.
• Wear minimal lightweight bedclothes.
• For the longer term consider turning a room into a heat refuge (sometimes called a cool refuge). This is a big topic and I address it in a separate post: Our house is too hot what can I do?
• Get a home energy audit to find out what is critical for your home and location.

​To keep informed of my latest posts, sign up for the Energy Saving Newsletter and as a free bonus, get  a 14 page extract from the forthcoming second edition of the book:

'House Taming, How to reduce greenhouse gases in comfort'

Sign up now to the Energy Saving Newsletter.

If you need personalised advice or you are thinking on spending some real money on the refuge, get an energy audit. I guarantee I can cost effectively save you the cost of the audit.

Feel free to leave a comment or question below.