As soon as the mercury exceeds 30 ° C during the day, we suffocate in our apartments and houses. As a bonus, we are very much to make this error which makes the temperature go even more … Emergency fresh blow.
When it is hot and that we spent the day in the dark, closed shutters, fans in the max, we only have a desire: to open the windows in large to “bring the freshness” and breathe again! Despite these efforts, the heat remains there, even seems impossible to dislodge and we feel moist. To believe that our interior absorbed the sun as a sponge and refuses to offer us an evening, then a night, worthy of the name.
The day is no longer a secret: everything must remain closed. Shoots and curtains drawn, closed windows. But in the evening, we sing the song of L5s in heart: “Air, it’s just a matter of survival!” And we think we are doing by opening everything, without asking too many questions. It’s logical: the sun sets, the air flows a little more, we hope a drop in temperature. Except that she does not come and this warmth stored that was thought to be scare away returns by the window.
It must be said that the walls, bitumen and facades have stored everything. In town, heat is released slowly. At 9 p.m., it is often 28 ° C outside. So, by opening, we don’t ventilate anything at all. Worse: we bring a warmer air than that of the interior. Result ? It is the catal, instead of gaining comfort, we transform our accommodation into small ovens, rotating heat, thermostat 8.
It is all the more treacherous that this error is almost universal. An automatic gesture, learned since childhood. We associate the night with freshness, while in summer, it is no longer necessarily true. Heat waves have changed everything. Temperatures remain high until very late. Our reflexes must evolve with the climate.
The right timing? This is the key. So, we stop ventilating at the end of the day too early, while the outside air remains hot up to 22–23 hours and we remember that it is always better to wait midnight, or even more. Yes, midnight. Even 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. It is often at this point that the outside air finally becomes fresher than that of the interior. And that we can, finally, renew it without increasing the thermostat.
In the meantime and even if it is frustrating, we keep everything closed. You can also hang a damp sheet in front of the window (closed!) To moisten the atmosphere, or place a bottle of ice water in front of a fan. It’s craft, but it relieves. And above all, we remember: opening too early is the assurance of cooking a little longer.
