As the weather heats up, many people across Ireland will be looking for tips to keep cool – and as cheaply as possible amid the ongoing cost of living crisis
There is one little known trick to keeping your house cool which needs only a cheap roll of tin foil or kitchen foil – such as that sold in Dunnes Stores, Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Aldi and more – stock photo
After a damp and dull start to August, heatwave conditions look set to return to Ireland next week.
Tuesday will marks the onset of a prolonged spell of sweltering weather that’s set to leave the country feeling muggy, stifling and humid, while making our homes unbearably warm.
Temperatures in Ireland are forecast to reach as high as 28C on Thursday, according to Met Eireann’s latest forecast.
In response to this scorching temperatures, many households will be seeking methods to cool their homes, with experts claiming a simple roll of tin foil can do the trick.
Both SuperValu and Tesco are currently selling tin foil for just €1.20 on their online stores, though superior results can be achieved with more advanced reflective foils available from homeware retailers.
People desperately attempting to stay cool have encouraged others to unroll kitchen tin foil and position it across windows, particularly those exposed to direct sunlight.
Tin foil can help keep your house cool in a heatwave(Image: Getty)
Jessica Rawstron, a British Gas Smart Energy Engineer, explained how this method works.
She said: “This is an affordable and super effective tool for keeping your house cool in summer by keeping the sun’s rays at bay. It’s not very expensive and widely used in hotter climates, and it can reduce heat and glare by up to 99%.
“While you can have it installed professionally, it’s not a tricky DIY project. It can give you a bit more privacy without sacrificing any natural light, and another bonus is that reflective window film can help to protect your furniture and flooring over time by blocking harmful UV rays and so preventing sun damage.”
Typically, when direct sunshine streams through glass, it amplifies the sun’s heat and raises indoor temperatures – this is how greenhouses work to keep plants warm inside.
However, foil functions by bouncing sunlight away from the window, redirecting it back outdoors, reports the Express
Adam Pawson, Head of Digital at Safestyle, explained to Ideal Home: “Blocking your windows with tin foil will help to keep your rooms cooler in the heat as it reflects the heat back outside.”
A view of a window covered with aluminum foil by a homeowner to protect against extreme heat during hot summer weather in Berlin, Germany on June 28, 2026(Image: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Though he warned that the method is most effective when applied externally: “However, one mistake people make is by placing the foil on the inside of the window. It is really important to be careful to place the tin foil on the outside of your windows rather than the inside to prevent the glass from getting too hot.”
Alternative methods include leaving windows open while keeping curtains closed, preventing direct sunshine from penetrating. Yet this will still generate some warmth through the fabric, while foil provides superior sun reflection.
You might recall that foil’s heat-reflecting properties also prove useful during winter, when households were recommended to position strips of tin foil behind radiators to bounce warmth back into living spaces. Ways to keep your house cool in a heatwave.
An additional benefit of tin foil, or ‘aluminium foil’, is that it’s non-toxic and doesn’t melt until it reaches 660C, meaning that even during a heatwave it will perform perfectly well with hundreds of degrees to spare, so there’s no need to fret about the foil melting in the sun.
Other ways for keeping your home cool during a heatwave includes:
– Only opening windows and doors during the evening, allowing cooler air to flow throughout the house, while keeping windows and curtains that face direct sunlight firmly shut during daylight hours.
– Placing bowls of water in various rooms around the house can also help, as the water evaporates and assists in keeping the air temperature down. Houseplants are equally effective at keeping a home cooler, acting as natural air conditioners by regulating room temperature through releasing moisture into the air via a process known as transpiration.
– Switching off any appliances that aren’t in use is another useful measure. Every device, from ovens and toasters to laptops and games consoles, generates small amounts of heat on standby, all of which contribute to the overall temperature of your home.
– The same principle applies when charging items such as your mobile phone, as the minimal heat produced could marginally warm a room, so it’s advisable to charge devices overnight.
– Energy-saving LED bulbs will also assist in keeping your home cooler. Conventional bulbs, such as Halogen, emit a considerable amount of heat while illuminating a room, and multiple Halogen lights or spotlights can rapidly raise the temperature at night.
– Consider switching to energy-efficient LEDs and minimise light usage wherever practical – which will also reduce your costs.
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