What is the best way to ventilate to protect yourself from the heat during a heat wave?

Be careful, in strong heat and even more so during a heat wave, it is better to ventilate methodically by closing everything during the day.

We still remember the heat waves and record temperatures of the year 2022, above 35 degrees. This high heat can be exhausting. Events like this will repeat themselves, in 2023 and beyond, due to climate change.

How can you best protect yourself? Whether it’s a heat wave or just high temperatures, there are good things you can do to stay cool. You can, of course, use a fan (according to our guide) and hydrate yourself regularly by focusing on good drinks (plain water, by priority, with at least one glass per hour, and especially no alcohol). But your priority should also be to maintain the maximum freshness in your interior.

Although it may seem counterintuitive at times, you should avoid at all costs leaving the windows wide open all day, not even to get some air, because it will be hot anyway and the mercury will rise, without possible refreshment. Good ventilation management is one of them official recommendations from Public Health France during the heat waves every year.

Do not open during the day

Public Health France poster in case of a heat wave.

Keep all windows closed during the day and also leave the roller shutters / blinds completely closed – to prevent heat from entering and to limit the amount of light entering your home as much as possible. Do not open as long as it is warmer outside than inside. Ventilation should take place when the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor temperaturewhich is easily verifiable by comparing the current weather (for example, the temperature displayed via Google) with the degrees in your rooms.

In general, the lowest temperature reaches around 4-5am and continues until about 7am when the mercury starts to rise again. The ideal is therefore to open late at night and close everything from 8 o’clock in the morning.

With this strategy, you can easily get about a ten-degree difference between the outside and the inside for a while. Of course, the temperature in your rooms will rise slightly during the day, to a level that will vary depending on the quality of the insulation, whether or not electronic devices are used and any return flights. open and close the entrance or garden doors (so these are limited tours).

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