As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, protecting ourselves from extreme summer temperatures is becoming increasingly important—and more difficult. Yet it is essential as heat affects the human body in at least 27 different ways. For example, it’s making it harder for people around the world to get quality sleep, and poor sleep alone can lead to a range of health problems. In 2023, Europe recorded 47,690 excess deaths linked to extreme heat.

Staying cool in an environmentally conscious way—ideally without relying heavily on energy-hungry devices like air conditioning can be a real challenge. We have gathered a collection of effective, eco-friendly solutions to help create a cooler, more comfortable space for you, your family, your pets, and even your neighbours during the hottest days.

Shading strategically

One of the simplest and most effective techniques for keeping heat out is shading. There are many ways to do it, and when done right, they can make a significant difference.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, properly installed window coverings can reduce indoor heat gain by up to 65% for south-facing windows and 77% for west-facing windows. Even a basic roller blind can help—but more substantial options like wooden or plastic blinds, venetian blinds, or shutters will yield even better results.

Outdoors, nature plays a role too. A garden filled with plants and flowers helps cool the air, especially when compared to unventilated, heat-absorbing urban buildings. To further reduce temperatures in your outdoor spaces, consider adding a parasol, a fabric canopy, or even a shade cloth over seating areas. These simple, low-cost solutions don’t just keep you cool, but they also protect your garden furniture and create shaded retreats.

Greening the garden

The greener your garden, the cooler you will feel during the sweltering summer months.

Where possible, consider replacing hard surfaces and pavers with grass, shrubs, creeping plants, or trees. These plants not only provide shade but also help cool the surrounding air through releasing water vapor as they absorb moisture from the soil. Since evaporation is an endothermic process (it absorbs heat), it actively removes warmth from the air, creating a noticeably cooler environment. Furthermore, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping reduce your home’s carbon footprint—improving your comfort and good for the planet.

Planting trees is the best long-term investment in your home’s comfort and sustainability. Keep in mind: trees take time—at least three years—to mature and provide effective shade. But the benefits are worth the wait. Deciduous trees are especially helpful, as they provide generous shade in summer while allowing warming sunlight through in the winter. If you choose fruit trees, you will not only get shade, but also fresh, seasonal produce—a tasty and sustainable reward for thinking ahead.

For quicker results, creepers such as wild grapes (Parthenocissus) are an excellent choice. These fast-growing climbing plants offer excellent shade and natural insulation, helping to keep building walls—and your indoor spaces—cooler. You can grow them along walls, fences, pergolas, or on trellises. Coating your walls with wild grapes can reduce daily indoor temperature fluctuations by up to 50%, and they also provide surprisingly good sound insulation. If you're looking for an edible variety, the Izabella grape is a fantastic choice. It’s known for its strong, sweet flavour, delightful aroma, rapid growth, and low maintenance—it doesn’t even need spraying.

Greening roofs and

Green roofs and living walls offer a creative and highly effective way to cool buildings, especially in urban areas. They can be added to homes, offices, commercial spaces, factories—or even vehicles. The thick soil layer used in green roofs helps insulate the space below, keeping it significantly cooler in the summer. These lush rooftop gardens not only filter airborne dust and reduce noise pollution, but they also absorb rainwater. According to the German Roof Garden Builders' Association, green roofs can retain between 30% and 99% of rainfall, depending on the system used. Beyond comfort, these vibrant gardens support biodiversity, offering nesting and feeding grounds for bees, butterflies, birds, squirrels, and other wildlife being driven out of cities by pollution and habitat loss.

Imagine the potential of transforming underused flat roofs into cooling, air-purifying, life-giving gardens.

Greening the interior

Personally, my favourite ways to combat the summer heat is by bringing more greenery indoors. Cooling your home with ornamental plants is beautiful and accessible to everyone—it also lifts the mood and transforms your space visually. Indoor plants help cool the air by releasing moisture through evaporation, just like their outdoor counterparts. If placed strategically, they can even block incoming sunlight, adding an extra layer of natural insulation.

Here are some favorites for indoor cooling:

• Philodendron & Alocasia – These tropical plants are my personal favourites. They love humid, warm conditions but also give your home a lush, exotic feel.
• Ferns – According to NASA research, ferns are among the best natural humidifiers. I especially enjoy the shade forest effect they create.
• Aloe Vera – This multifunctional plant is not just great for skincare; it also cleans the air, removes formaldehyde particles, and contributes to a cooler, cleaner environment.
• Motherwort – Often appreciated for its low maintenance, this plant is known to release oxygen at night and absorb harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides, benzene, and trichloroethylene.

If you have a garden, consider making your own compost. It is a simple yet powerful way to retain soil moisture, which plays a big role in regulating temperatures around your home. Keeping your garden soil moist and nutrient-rich helps trees and other shade-providing plants thrive. And moist soil can be up to 10°C cooler than the surrounding air during the hottest months. So, composting isn’t just good for plant health—it also supports your home’s natural cooling system, making it a true win-win for both you and the environment.

Getting messy

It is a messy, yet affordable and effective way to keep your space cooler. It might not seem like a big deal, but the colour of your walls and roof can have a huge impact on how much heat your home absorbs. Light colours reflect sunlight, while dark colours absorb it. So, if you paint your exterior walls and roof a lighter shade—ideally white—you can significantly reduce the amount of heat that enters the building.

Ventilating properly

Proper ventilation is an essential technique for reducing the effects of summer heat. It helps remove excess moisture from the air and, when outdoor air quality permits, also clears out pollutants. Replacing warm, stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air creates a much more pleasant and comfortable living environment. To ventilate effectively during the summer, timing is key. It is best to air out your home at night or in the early morning, when the outdoor temperature is cooler. This helps bring down the indoor temperature without introducing more heat. For even better results, aim to create cross-ventilation—open windows or doors on opposite sides of your home to allow the cooler air to flow through, pushing warm air out more efficiently. During the day, especially if there is a breeze, you can keep the home open to let air move freely, but be sure to use shading. Without proper shading, the sun’s heat can quickly cancel out any cooling effect.

Ventilation can be more difficult in some homes, especially prefabricated buildings or older apartments with high ceilings and poor airflow design. In these cases, even opening windows all night might not be enough. If windows are not positioned to allow for cross-ventilation, you may need to open more windows and doors throughout the space. For example, opening doors in stairwells—carefully and during the day—can help promote better air movement. That said, it is important to stay security-conscious. While maximizing airflow is important, make sure your home remains secure. As the saying goes, “the devil never sleeps”—so always take care to prevent unauthorized entry, especially when windows and doors are left open.

Switching off unused electrical devices

A surprisingly effective trick is to fully switch off unused electrical devices. This can help reduce the temperature in your home by several degrees. Many of our everyday appliances generate heat—even when we don’t realize it. Chargers plugged in around the clock, TVs left on standby, or unused lamps all contribute to indoor warmth and unnecessary energy use.

The first tip is to completely power down any devices not in use. Standby mode may seem harmless, but continuously energized electronics can slowly warm your space and increase your electricity bill. If constantly switching them on and off feels like too much effort, consider installing a toggle switch or using a smart socket to make the process quicker and more convenient.

The second tip is avoid using heat-generating appliances during the day. That means turning off lights and TVs when they are not needed and limiting the use of stoves and ovens to early mornings or evenings. Small changes like drying your hair in the sun instead of using a hairdryer not only conserve electricity but also prevent hot air from blowing into your already warm home.

Insulating our buildings? Definitely!

A national survey in Hungary from 2015 found that 70% of homeowners would rather invest in insulation than rely on air conditioning. If we want to reduce household energy costs, the first and most effective step is to cut back on energy use. That means using the boiler or radiator less in winter and running the air conditioner less—or not at all—in summer.

While effective insulation can be expensive, there are several low-cost improvements that can make a noticeable difference. For example, you can apply insulation film to your windows or use self-adhesive window seals. These DIY options don’t require professional help and can be excellent first steps before committing to full-scale insulation work. Wooden doors and windows also have advantages over plastic alternatives. Most notably, they are more resistant to heat and aging, making them better suited for extreme weather conditions and offering longer-term benefits.

In the long run, investing in insulation is far more sustainable and cost-effective than relying on air conditioning. It keeps your indoor environment comfortable throughout the seasons without the heavy energy consumption or the environmental impact.

Of course, daily habits also matter. Choosing appropriate clothing, staying hydrated, eating light meals, and even taking cool showers multiple times a day can all help manage heat naturally—but those practical lifestyle tips deserve an article of their own.

This article was slightly revised by Petra Probstner and Katalin Tarr, Clean Air Action Group.