30 tips to keep your cool this summer without cranking the aircon
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has published the Australian Climate Outlooks for November 2026 through February 2027, and it’s going to be hot. The upcoming summer is expected to bring above-average temperatures and an increased risk of severe heatwaves.
Both daytime and overnight temperatures are expected to be above average, with the highest chances (over 80%) of unusually high maximum temperatures across areas in eastern New South Wales, far eastern Victoria, eastern Tasmania and far northern Cape York Peninsula.
That means most of us will be trying to keep our homes as cool as we can, so we’re here to make the case that running the aircon all day isn’t the best solution to surviving summer.
Most of the heat inside a home arrives through windows, the roof and everyday appliances, so stopping it at the source does more than chasing it with a compressor. In other words, we’re looking at ways to save energy and lower your bills.
The tips below work in order: keep heat out, let it escape, move air around, stop making more of it, and look after your body. Follow these tips and even if you still switch on the aircon during a heatwave, it will work less hard and cost you less.
Block the heat before it gets in
Sunlight streaming through glass is the biggest source of unwanted heat in most homes. Shade the window and you stop the problem before it starts.
TOP TIP: Go external where you can. Shade that sits outside the glass, such as awnings, external roller shutters, shade sails or a pergola, stops heat before it reaches the window. It beats any internal blind.
Close blinds and curtains early. Shut them on the sunny side of the house before the sun hits, not after the room has already heated up. Aim for the east in the morning and the west in the afternoon.
Choose the right window coverings. Light-coloured, thick or block-out curtains with a white or reflective backing work best. Honeycomb (cellular) blinds trap a layer of air and add extra insulation.
Try window film. Reflective or heat-rejecting film is a cheap option for rentals or windows you can’t shade from outside.
Seal the gaps. Draught strips around doors and windows keep hot air out in the daytime and cool air in overnight.
Open up at night, close up by day
The aim is to flush out the day’s heat when it’s cooler outside, then seal the house while the outdoor air is hotter than the indoor air.
TOP TIP: Mind security. Window locks or safety stays let you leave windows ajar overnight without leaving the house open.
Open windows once the temperature drops. In many parts of Australia, that means late evening, overnight and early morning. Check the forecast; a cool change is your cue.
Create a cross-breeze. Open windows on opposite sides of the house, or at the front and back, so air has a path through. Leave internal doors open to help it travel.
Close everything again in the morning. Once it’s warmer outside than in, shut windows, doors and curtains to trap the cool air.
Shut off rooms you aren’t using. Closing doors to spare rooms means you only have to keep a smaller space comfortable.
Use fans the smart way
Fans don’t lower the temperature of a room. They move air across your skin, which helps sweat evaporate and makes you feel cooler, and they cost a fraction of what aircon does to run.
TOP TIP: Use fans to pull in the night air. Point a fan outward at one window and open another window on the opposite side to draw cool air through the house.
Set ceiling fans to push air down. In summer, most ceiling fans should spin anticlockwise when you look up at them. There’s usually a small switch on the motor housing.
Turn fans off when you leave the room. They cool people, not spaces, so running one in an empty room just wastes power.
Make a DIY evaporative cooler. Put a bowl of ice or a frozen water bottle in front of a pedestal fan so it blows a cooler breeze towards you.
Add a damp towel. Hanging a wet sheet or towel near an open window can cool the air as it blows through, especially on dry days.
Stop making extra heat indoors
Every appliance that gets warm is adding to the load your home has to shed. A few small habit changes add up.
TOP TIP: Rethink the oven. On hot days, cook on the barbecue, use a slow cooker or microwave, or go for no-cook meals like salads, wraps and cold noodles. If you must use the oven, do it early in the morning or late at night.
Switch to LED lighting. Old incandescent and halogen globes turn most of their energy into heat. LEDs stay cool.
Unplug or switch off what you don’t use. Computers, consoles, TVs and chargers all give off warmth, even on standby.
Dry clothes outside. A clothes dryer pumps heat and humidity into the house. A line or rack in the shade does the job for free.
Shower and run the dishwasher at cooler times. Steam and warm appliances raise indoor temperature and humidity. Run them in the evening and use the exhaust fan.
Longer-term fixes that pay off every summer
If you own your home, or can talk to your landlord, a few bigger changes make a lasting difference.
TOP TIP: Vent the roof space. Roof vents or whirlybirds let trapped hot air escape from the cavity above your ceiling.
Insulate the ceiling. Good ceiling insulation slows the heat coming down from a hot roof and also helps keep warmth in over winter. It’s often the best-value upgrade.
Choose lighter roof colours. A light-coloured or reflective roof absorbs less heat than a dark one when it’s time to repaint or replace.
Plant for shade. Deciduous trees and climbers on a pergola, especially on the west side, give shade in summer and let the sun through in winter.
Cool the ground around the house. Gardens, lawn and mulch stay cooler than concrete and pavers, which bounce heat back at your walls and windows.
Keep your body cool, not just the house
Sometimes the quickest way to feel comfortable is to cool yourself directly.
TOP TIP: Cool your pulse points. A wet cloth on the wrists, neck or back of the knees, or a cool foot soak, brings your temperature down fast.
Take a lukewarm or cool shower. It’s more refreshing than it sounds and won’t leave you flushed afterwards like a cold blast can.
Sleep smarter. Use cotton or linen sheets, ditch the doona for a light sheet, and put a frozen water bottle at your feet. If your bedroom stays warm, sleep in the coolest room of the house.
Stay low. Hot air rises, so downstairs rooms, or even a mattress on the floor in a heatwave, can feel noticeably cooler.
Look out for others. Check on elderly neighbours, young children and anyone who struggles in the heat, and know the signs of heat exhaustion: dizziness, headache, nausea and heavy sweating.
When the aircon still makes sense
We know if you have air conditioning, you’re going to use it. The idea is to get out of the mindset of defaulting to the AC all the time, because there’s a good chance you’re using it more than you really need to. That’s just a fact of our modern lifestyle of convenience.
There’s no point suffering through a heatwave, though. On the hottest days, or for anyone who’s vulnerable to heat, aircon is a sensible – maybe even vital – tool.
All we’re saying is there are ways to use it wisely: close the doors and windows in the room you’re cooling, set it to a moderate temperature (around 24 to 26°C) and keep the blinds drawn so it isn’t fighting the sun.
Start with the easy wins this week: sort out your window coverings, work out your night-time airflow and pull the clothes dryer out of the routine. By the time the first 38-degree day arrives, your home will already be doing most of the work.