Melbourne is truly feeling the heat! As temperatures soar, our instinctive reaction is to grab the air conditioning remote for immediate comfort. While this provides a quick solution, letting the air conditioner run non-stop can significantly increase our utility bills, making it the costliest expense of the season. Rather than relying on air conditioning throughout the summer, consider these effective strategies to keep cool and conserve funds simultaneously.

Start with your windows
Believe it or not, a significant amount of unwanted heat comes through windows. Therefore, keeping your blinds closed will decrease the amount of sunlight that comes in and help cool down your apartment. You can even block out your blinds by adding shades or curtains.

Cooler cooking solutions
Every time you use your oven, you’re heating your apartment. Kick out the kitchen oven heat by using the BBQ instead. Many apartment amenities feature great BBQ areas, making it a great place to entertain as well. The less you use the oven and stove; the cooler your apartment will be.

Run appliances at night
If your apartment has a dishwasher or washer and dryer, run them after the sun goes down. It can get hot enough during the day without the added heat of appliances. Running them after it gets dark will keep your home cooler during the hours of the day when it is the warmest outside.

Let the airflow
You can create a natural flow of cooler air specifically to the rooms you are using. Close the doors of any rooms not infrequent use, but keep doors open to places like your bedroom and bathroom. This ensures that the cool air flows to where you need it the most, rather than getting misdirected to spots where nobody is hanging out.

Cooldown your bedding
It’s time to switch out the flannel and fleece for some cotton sheets. Adjusting your bedding to lightweight material will keep you cooler and allow you to sleep and breathe better. The best cooling sheets we recommend trying out are soft bamboo sheets. Bamboo is a breathable, lightweight fabric that will keep you cool and comfortable.