How to survive in anomalous heat. Unexpected, but effective tips from scientists

Illustrative photo. Photo: Lookby.media

How to open windows correctly

It seems everyone knows that at +40°C, windows should be tightly closed during the day. However, as practice shows, even by following this basic rule, people continue to turn their apartments into ovens. Scientists point out several non-obvious physical mistakes we make daily.

Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh, an expert in heat transfer in buildings from Nottingham Trent University, warns about the danger of glazed loggias and balconies. Many people close windows in their apartments but keep balcony doors open for the illusion of extra space or "air".

In reality, a glazed loggia acts like a classic greenhouse: glass allows sunlight in but blocks the exit of heated air, accumulating thermal energy. The scientist is categorical: in hot weather, the balcony must be isolated from the living room by closed doors.

It is also important to understand the physics of curtains. Dr. Ben Roberts from a specialized laboratory at Loughborough University notes that thick dark curtains do not save you from the heat. By blocking light, they absorb solar radiation and start to act as an additional heating radiator inside the room. Only white or light-reflecting fabrics effectively reflect heat, and even better are external roller shutters.

To quickly displace the heat accumulated during the day, it's not enough to simply open a window before sleep. Air must circulate. Experts advise creating not just a horizontal draft, but a so-called "chimney effect".

Since hot air always rises, in a private house or a multi-story apartment, the most effective way is to open a window on the lowest floor (or on the coolest, shadiest side), for example, in your stairwell, and simultaneously a window on a higher level or a skylight in the attic. This will literally push the hot air out.

But here, as Dr. Roberts emphasizes, there is a problem: although everyone knows that the house should be cooled at night, nobody does it in cities due to car noise, insects, or a basic fear for their own safety (especially on ground floors). As a result, the apartment doesn't cool down overnight, and the next day the temperature inside becomes even more unbearable.

The researcher is confident that to survive in the new climatic era, we will eventually have to equip our windows with grilles, filters, and mosquito nets, because without adequate nocturnal heat dissipation, staying within concrete walls will become physically dangerous.

How to use air conditioning correctly to save money and nature

Another common mistake is related to the operation of climate control technology. As CSIRO experts note in an article in The Conversation,

many air conditioner owners try to save money by turning on the appliance for a short time at an extremely low temperature, for example, +17°C, and then turning it off. In fact, this is the worst-case scenario for both the equipment and electricity bills.

Cooling a heated room to such low temperatures requires colossal energy expenditure.

Modern air conditioners are designed for continuous operation. The most energy-efficient approach is to set the highest possible but still comfortable temperature (usually +26°C during the day and +22°C at night) and allow the system to calmly maintain this level.

Analysts at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in their report calculated that lowering the set temperature by just one degree increases energy consumption by 5-10%. Furthermore, IEA studies in Singapore showed that people feel equally comfortable at +24°C and +26°C if, in the latter case, a regular ceiling or floor fan is also operating. Such a combination consumes 30% less electricity.

In addition, experts from the environmental agency EIA remind us of the global cost of such comfort.

Air conditioners operate on refrigerants (fluorine-containing gases), the leakage of which accelerates global warming thousands of times more powerfully than carbon dioxide.

Therefore, when choosing equipment, specialists advise looking for models that use natural refrigerants, marked as R290.

How to use a fan correctly

Павялічыць

Incorrect use of a fan can lead to heatstroke in hot weather. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The most accessible device for combating heat — a regular fan — has found itself at the center of fierce scientific discussions.

A fan does not cool the air; it only moves it, accelerating the evaporation of sweat from human skin.

A major article dedicated to this problem was published in the authoritative scientific journal Science. The World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) long disagreed on safety assessments.

Previously, it was believed that the useful limit for a fan was +35°C (the approximate temperature of human skin), and at higher temperatures, it would start to act like a convection oven, blowing hot air onto the body.

However, everything is determined by humidity. Currently, Belarus is experiencing not just 40-degree heat, but heat with high humidity. These are extreme "sauna-like" conditions.

Physiologist Ollie Jay from the University of Sydney proves that precisely at such high humidity, fans save the heart from overload even at +38°C. In humid air, sweat cannot evaporate on its own, and the fan physically helps the body to cool down.

However, if we were experiencing dry heat (15-20% humidity), the fan would cause harm even at +35°C, instantly drying out the skin and thereby leading to heatstroke.

To make the fan even more effective, the British publication The Times advises using an old physics trick: place a bowl of ice in front of the appliance. The air will cool as it passes over it.

Regarding the popular "Japanese method" of cooling a car interior found online (where one window is opened, and the door on the other side is actively waved), scientists confirm its effectiveness only for quickly replacing hot air. Plastic panels and seats, which have a high thermal mass, cannot be cooled this way — only a sunshade will help here.

Biology and Psychology

A study published in the scientific journal Building and Environment confirms the colossal role of plants in cooling homes – but it's not about potted plants on the windowsill. Indian scientists demonstrate the effectiveness of full-fledged "green walls". If a fast-growing vine is trained on a vertical trellis outside the building or on a balcony, it creates a dense living shield.

This plant carpet physically blocks solar rays and simultaneously cools the air through evapotranspiration (evaporation of moisture by leaves).

Experiments have shown that such a living wall can reduce the temperature of the internal concrete surface by 3.2°C, and the air in the room by almost 3°C. This method works best on the western and eastern walls of buildings, which suffer most from the low, scorching sun.

Павялічыць

Living vines on the facade of residential buildings can reduce the air temperature in a room by almost 3°C. Photo: Onliner

An interesting approach is proposed by Swiss researchers from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. They found that the sensation of warmth can be deceived through other senses. Their presented model shows that

the scents of menthol, lemon, and rosemary activate the skin's cold receptors, creating an illusion of coolness without an actual temperature reduction. The sound of flowing water and the use of blue and turquoise colors in the interior provide a similar psychological effect. And replacing a regular bedspread with smooth cotton satin physically improves heat dissipation from the body during sleep.

If this doesn't help, British medics advise resorting to localized cooling. Instead of taking an ice-cold shower, which causes shock and makes the body constrict blood flow from the skin, retaining heat inside, it's much more effective to cool the so-called pulse points — wrists, neck, and feet, where blood vessels are close to the surface.

The internet hit of wearing damp socks at night also makes scientific sense, as feet are excellent heat exchangers. The main thing is not to use socks from which water is literally dripping, to avoid fungal infections. A much safer option is to put dry socks and a pillowcase in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before bed.

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