How to keep your home cool without air conditioning

Keep the sun out, let cooler air in and look after the people inside.

The answer in 2 lines. Shade sunny windows and keep them closed while the air outside is hotter than indoors. Open them when the outside air becomes cooler, provided it is safe, and encourage airflow through your home. Reduce unnecessary heat from cooking, lighting and appliances. Spend time in the coolest available room and check on anyone who may struggle in hot weather. Fans have limits: follow the current official advice rather than relying on one in extreme heat. Confusion, seizures or loss of consciousness can indicate heatstroke and need emergency help.

Start with your windows and routine

Close blinds or curtains on sunny windows. Close windows when it is hotter outside than inside.
When the outside air feels cooler, open windows safely and encourage airflow between rooms. Keep security and fall risks in mind.
Reduce avoidable indoor heat: switch off unused lights and equipment, and choose cooler times for cooking.

Stop: danger

Possible heatstroke: call 999 for confusion, a seizure, loss of consciousness, a very high temperature or other heatstroke symptoms. Do not wait for every sign to appear.
Not recovering: the NHS also says to call 999 if someone remains unwell after 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, being cooled and drinking fluids.
While help comes: keep cooling the person with cool water, wet cloths or a fan. Do not give drinks to someone who is unconscious or cannot swallow safely.

Make a plan for your particular home

A sunny bedroom, a top-floor flat and a home with windows on only one side need different arrangements. Walk through your rooms before hot weather arrives: which gets the strongest sun, which stays coolest, and which windows can safely remain open?

The official keep-cool-at-home checklist, updated in 2026, helps you identify overheating risks and choose practical changes. Work through its preparation section before summer, then use its hot-weather actions when temperatures rise. If you have mechanical ventilation, check the instructions for its summer setting rather than switching it off automatically.

Use a fan with care

A fan moves air; it does not refrigerate the room. The 2026 checklist recommends electric fans when the air temperature is below 35°C and advises against aiming them directly at your body because this can lead to dehydration. Do not rely on a fan alone when the room becomes extremely hot.

Keep drinking regularly and consider moving to a cooler room or suitable public building if your home remains uncomfortable. Keep water used for personal cooling away from plugs and electrical equipment. Before bedtime, identify the coolest safe place to sleep instead of assuming your usual bedroom is the best option.

What not to do

Opening windows simply because it is daytime, even though hotter air is coming in.
Disabling window restrictors where they protect children or other people from falling.
Leaving a child or anyone dependent on you in a parked vehicle.
Treating a fan as sufficient protection when someone is becoming unwell.

Look after people as well as the building

Arrange regular contact with relatives or neighbours who live alone or have difficulty responding to heat. Offer practical help with curtains, drinks and moving to a cooler space. People with long-term conditions, young children and older people can need extra support.

Read the NHS hot-weather advice to plan personal precautions. If someone has fluid restrictions or takes medicines affected by heat, ask their usual healthcare professional for individual advice; do not change treatment yourself.

For dizziness, headache, nausea, heavy sweating or marked thirst, move the person somewhere cool, remove unnecessary clothing, offer water if they can swallow safely and cool their skin. Use the NHS heat exhaustion and heatstroke guidance to recognise escalation. Call 111 if you are struggling to manage symptoms or need urgent advice.

In England: prepare before an alert

The Met Office explanation of the Heat-Health Alert service describes England's alert system and links to registration. Use it to understand the alerts and arrange support before hot weather arrives. It is not a live alert bulletin for this article's publication date.

For longer-term changes, ask about shading and summer ventilation when planning refurbishment. Get any permissions needed before altering a rented home or shared building. Health-alert arrangements differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Good to know

There is no guaranteed temperature reduction from closing curtains or opening windows: results depend on the building and weather.
A cooler public place is useful only if you can reach it safely without excessive heat exposure.
Recheck conditions during the evening: outdoor air may remain hotter than indoors after sunset.

Illustrative example: in a top-floor Birmingham flat, Aisha shades the sunny living-room windows before leaving home. In the evening she checks whether the air outside is cooler before opening windows safely. When the bedroom stays uncomfortable, she sleeps in the cooler room and checks that her older neighbour has drinks and help.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 5 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the cooling measures, the 2026 fan guidance and NHS emergency advice. The temperature benefit in an individual home cannot be guaranteed. Health alerts are dynamic and must be checked when needed.