How to keep your house cool in the high heat of the French summer

Close the shutters, hang a damp sheet, and use a fan: These are some of the tips shared by France’s ecological transition agency on how to keep your house cool.

The Agence de la transition écologique (Ademe) issued the advice in a guide entitled ‘Garder son logement au frais (Keep your home cool)’.

Other tips include using 100% cotton sheets (as they are more breathable), and placing them in a plastic bag, and putting them in the freezer for a few minutes before getting into bed; or

putting a (tightly sealed!) bottle of cold water in your bed.

Ademe said that although 25% of homes in France have an air conditioner, these can cause your electricity bill to rise by 15-25%.

It also said that air conditioning was responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the building sector in 2020, so highlighted that it is not the most eco-friendly way to

cool down and could make the planet hotter overall.

As a result, Ademe said that if possible, and if there are no vulnerable people in the home (such as older people or those with chronic illness), residents should try alternative means to

stay cool rather than using air conditioners.

Instead, it recommended that people use fans (in contrast to central air conditioners). In a statement, the agency said: “Fans create air movements which, as they pass over the skin, promote

the evaporation of perspiration and give an immediate sensation of coolness.”

Fans do not cool the air, however, so you can try some tricks to make it feel colder.

“Placing a bottle of frozen water, an ice pack, or a wet cloth in front of your fan will circulate even cooler air,” Ademe said.