As temperatures soar towards 40°C, many households are tempted to turn their fridge down to keep food fresher. However, one expert has cautioned against this approach, suggesting it may actually be more beneficial to keep your fridge on a slightly warmer setting to reduce the overall temperature in your home.
Fridge Heat Generation
Professor of human and applied physiology at the University of Portsmouth, Mike Tipton, explains that the mechanism at the rear of your fridge works overtime when set to a cooler temperature, ultimately dispersing heat throughout your kitchen. He told the Times: "Anyone who's been near the back of a fridge knows how hot the grill gets and that heat is being put out into your kitchen. Fridges generate a lot of heat to cool down and it's got to go somewhere."
To ease its workload and consequently generate less heat, Tipton recommends turning the temperature up. He added: "So if your fridge is set to two or three degrees, try turning it up to five or six to deposit less heat into your house. Anything like phone chargers or other rechargeable devices, if left on, will generate heat."
Cold Showers Warning
Consumer body Which? advises people to steer clear of cold showers during a heatwave. While reaching for an ice-cold shower may seem instinctive, if the temperature drops too low, it could trigger the body into winter mode, causing it to retain heat. Such a reaction may ultimately leave you feeling far worse.
Which? recommends opting for a lukewarm or slightly cooler shower instead. They explained: "Don't be tempted to turn the dial right round to freezing when having a shower. If your body is subjected to extreme cold, it will try to regulate its core temperature by retaining heat. This will increase blood flow to your skin to warm it up, making you feel even hotter. Taking a cold shower might make you feel better for a short time, but your best option is using cool or lukewarm water, and then letting yourself air dry rather than towel-drying yourself. The action of water evaporating off your skin will create a cooling effect on the surface of your skin."
Fan Placement Tips
Regarding fans, Which? also suggested directing your fan outward through a window rather than into a room. Since a fan is designed to move air from one point to another, pointing it out of a window forces the hot air out, allowing fresher, cooler air to fill the space. This method, however, is only effective when the outside temperature is lower than that indoors.
As they explained on social media: "If it's cooler outside than inside, try pointing your fan out of an open window instead of directly at you. Fans don't cool the air, they move it, so this can help push hot air out of the room and draw cooler air in through other windows or gaps."
