As the summer finally arrives, Chris Michael, MD of air treatment specialist Meaco gives his top tips on keeping cool at home
Try not to let rooms get too hot in the first place and think before opening a window
Keep windows, curtains and blinds closed throughout the day to stop the heat from the sun warming up the room. Only open a window when the outside air temperature is cooler than the room temperature. There’s no point in bringing in warm air which is only going to make the problem worse.
Using an air circulator
The difference between an air circulator and an ordinary fan is that the air circulator operates by constantly keeping the air in a room moving and making it a more pleasant environment, whereas a fan blows unidirectional air on you, so is only effective when it’s directly facing you, which can be irritating and give you that “wind chill” feeling.
To obtain the most out of an air circulator and improve ventilation it is best to open two windows, and place an air circulator so that it is blowing the air out of one of the windows. This sucks warm, stale air out of the room, while cool fresh air is drawn in from the other window, circulating quickly around the room.
Noise matters during hot summer nights
Getting a good night’s sleep during hot and humid summer nights can be difficult at the best of times. Sleep can be more difficult with the constant hum of a noisy fan.
Quiet Mark is the independent global certification programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society. Through scientific testing and assessment Quiet mark identifies the quietest products in multiple product categories. Helping improve the quality of life in the home by lowering the noise pollution from appliances.
Meaco’s ultra-quiet air circulating fans
Meaco has a range of award-winning fans, four of which carry the Quiet Mark accreditation. Designed to suit all room sizes, with advanced DC technology ensuring low noise levels and low energy usage, Meaco is a popular choice.
The large MeacoFan 1056 has twelve fan speeds capable of cooling the largest of rooms. It displaces 1056²m of air per hour. Multidirectional oscillation ensures that cool air circulates throughout the whole room by bouncing the air off walls and ceilings so that every part of the room and everyone in the room benefits. This is a major differentiator to a standard pedestal or tower fan. An ECO mode automatically changes the fan speed as the room temperature changes, providing a simple, one-touch control.
The smaller MeacoFan 650 and 360 models are ideal for home office use, as they take up little space and can be placed on desks, bedside tables and windowsills whilst being USB or mains powered. As well as being stylish and lightweight, the MeacoFan range is very low on energy consumption. The new MeacoFan 260c Cordless Air Circulator is a recent addition to the range, is battery operated and runs for up to 14 hours on a full charge, so is ideal to move around the house, when exercising, studying, working or even to take on holiday with you to help keep you cool. It includes a useful nightlight built into its base so is perfect for a child’s bedroom.
Using a portable air conditioner
The best advice on buying a portable air conditioner is to ignore gimmicks and go for a larger capacity. Many people underestimate cooling size and can be disappointed when they find that their portable air conditioner does not offer enough cooling on the hottest evenings.
To get a good night’s sleep, turn the air conditioner on a few hours before you go to bed. Keep the bedroom door closed and the blinds and curtains closed. The hose from the air conditioner needs to go out of the window but use the window blocker to seal off the rest of the window to make the air conditioner as efficient as possible.
When you go to bed the sun will probably have gone down so you will no longer be getting heat gain from the sun’s rays. You should then be able to turn the air conditioner off and have a peaceful night’s sleep. If you wish you can use the air conditioner in fan only mode to keep the air moving without the noise of the compressor.
Meaco has a range of portable air conditioners, the popular MeacoCool MC Series, with six BTU model sizes to choose from, providing localised cooling in rooms from 12M² to 36m² and an emphasis on low noise and energy efficiency. In the low fan speed setting, the sound pressure level of just 53dB(A) makes these easier appliances to live with. Pre-cooling a bedroom is easy to do with the timer function that allows users to set both an on and off timer from anytime between one and 24 hours. The MeacoCool series also use R290 refrigerant which is kinder to the environment than older refrigerant gasses, and carries an A energy rating, to help save on electricity bills. An easy-to-use remote control provides full control of the air conditioner, enabling the user to adjust the temperature and engage a sleep mode to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
