How to keep your house cool in a heatwave

During the day

• Close curtains and blinds on windows that face the sun.
• Keep windows shut while it's hotter outside than inside.
• Switch off lights and appliances you're not using, as they all give off heat.
• Spend the hottest part of the day in the coolest room, usually one facing north or on the ground floor.

In the evening and overnight

• Open windows as soon as it's cooler outside than in, ideally on opposite sides of the house.
• Use a fan to push warm air out of a window.
• If security allows, leave windows open overnight, and close them again in the morning before the heat builds.

Look after people, not just rooms

Older people, young children, people with health conditions and pets are most at risk in hot weather. Check on neighbours and relatives who live alone, keep water to hand, and follow NHS advice on heat.

Before the next heatwave

The rooms that become unbearable are usually the conservatory, the glass extension, the loft room and any room with a big south or west facing window. Those are worth sorting out in the cooler months, when there's time to compare options:

• External shading for sunny windows
• Solar control film on conservatory roofs, extensions and rooflights
• Better ventilation, such as rooflights or vents that can be opened safely
• Loft insulation, which helps keep heat out of upstairs rooms as well as in