Keeping your home healthy

Overheating is when a home gets uncomfortably warm inside.

Overheating can make it hard to sleep.  It can also put stress on the body, especially for young children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities and health conditions. The higher the temperature and the longer you’re exposed to it, the greater the risks.

Here are some tips to stop your home from getting too hot:

• Open the windows early in the morning while it’s still cool outside and close them again over the warmest part of the day.
• Close curtains on the sunniest windows. Leave the windows slightly open behind them to help keep cool.
• Turn your heat pump to cooling mode with the temperature set to 24-25°C, before your home gets too warm. This uses less power than cooling to lower temperatures. You can also use a fan in the doorway to help move the cool air to other rooms.
• Remember! Turning your heat pump temperature down low and then back up again won’t cool your home any faster and will cost you more money.

If it’s humid but not that hot:

Heat pumps have a dehumidifying mode which takes the moisture out of the air – shut the windows and doors and turn this on to help make it less sticky and more comfortable.

• Change into light, loose fitting clothing.
• Rest in a cool room with windows open and a fan on, or outside in the shade and breeze if it’s cooler.
• Drink lots of water - avoid caffeinated beverages (e.g. coffee, cola, energy drinks).
• Take a cool shower or bath, or put towels soaked in cool water on your skin - particularly around the neck and head.
• Keep irritated skin dry, and apply a soothing ointment or powder to heat rash.
• Gently stretch any muscles that are cramping.

If your body temperature starts to climb and you’re unable to cool yourself, you may be experiencing heat stress. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the two most serious types of heat stress.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Fast breathing or heart rate
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Light-headedness or syncope (fainting)
• Low blood pressure
• Muscle aches or cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness

Symptoms of heatstroke are similar, but can also include:

• Anhidrosis (dry skin that doesn’t sweat)
• Balance problems
• Delirium (being confused)
• Hot, flushed, or very pale skin
• Low or high blood pressure
• Seizures