Help with keeping bedroom cool?

[TheOpportuneMoment]

We have constant issues with keeping my toddlers bedroom cool. The second the sun comes out it's impossible to manage. It's February and his room is currently 24 degrees. He still naps and even with the door open to the hallway he wakes up sweaty and grumpy. The rest of the house is a normal temperature, I'm wearing slippers and a jumper downstairs.

His room is quite small and south facing. Last year we spent about £300 on a portable condenser air con thing, which does literally nothing at all. I think it makes it hotter. He won't sleep if there's a fan on, the room is tiny and even the silent one is too loud and too close to his bed.

We've tried keeping the windows closed and blinds down, but that just turns the whole window into a giant radiator.

I've seen there are reflective window films you can put on, but would they just reflect the light straight back at our opposite neighbours?

Any tips for anything that's worked would be much appreciated! In the height of summer his room gets up to 33 degrees by the evening and is a constant source of stress, so I want to try and find a way of managing it now.

I came on to say get an air con unit. I’m absolutely baffled as to how it hasn’t worked for you. Ours does a fantastic job, we’ve got the type you have to put the tube out of the window

Not very helpful, sorry

I think maybe we need to upgrade to a tube out the window type! The problem with the condenser one we've got now is that the motor at the back seems to heat up and cancels out any good that it does.

Are you in the UK? It's freezing where we are 😂
Have you tried the solar reflective film on the window?

Can you get one of those cool mats for under his sheet instead? I can't remember what they're called but we all used to have them in height of summer when I was living in hotter climates. Kind of like a gel centre.

Yes in the UK, it's about 10 degrees outside, but he's currently napping and his bedroom is 25 degrees!

Have you tried window open and curtains shut?

Silentnight sell cool sheets. Amazing! Tesco sell them..

Cooling mats are a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Will look into them!

Window open or shut doesn't seem to make a huge amount of difference unless it's windy outside. We have blackout blinds so not sure if it's whatever the coating is on them that seems to absorb the heat?

I think maybe we need to upgrade to a tube out the window type! The problem with the condenser one we've got now is that the motor at the back seems to heat up and cancels out any good that it does.

It sounds like you've got a dehumidifier, not an aircon. You're putting energy into it - of course the motor heats up - so unless there's heat leaving the room somehow, eg warm air via a tube, how can it possibly cool the room down? basic laws of physics. Same as the fact that fridges and freezers heat the room they're in.

Tube out of the window should be better, but not as good as proper units installed on the outside which work as heat pumps which can provide cheap heating when it's cold, cooling when it's hot. Quieter too. Obviously much more expensive and may be subject to planning regulations.

Have you tried a dehumidifier?

@ErrolTheDragon just checked the Amazon listing and you're right actually, it's an 'air cooler' not an air conditioner. It's like a big tower fan that you put ice packs and water into. It's supposed to draw the air in, run it through the cold water and push it back out cold again. It was a waste of money in hindsight, bought in panic last summer!

A proper, tube out the window, air con.

That absoluely will chill the room down - and it's pretty much the most effective thing to do so.

But they are noisy - which may be an issue while he gets ued to it?

Try window and blind/curtains shut.

At this time of year when it's still cool outside (especially at night), windows open and if you've got slatted blinds, correctly angled against the sun. That should get a balance between letting cool air in and keeping the sun out.
I've always thought wooden shutters, uncoincidentally like they have in warmer climates, would be brilliant.

My entire flat has the same issue, it all faces south.

I don't really know how an A/C works like the type you are describing

But, I have learned that a cheap A/C unit with a hose out the back doesn't have to be fully sealed. In summer, I sleep in my bedroom with the air vent going in the hallway - the window isn't suitable for venting A/C. That still works but in your case it does mean someone else is going to have to bear the heat that's pumped out....depending on your home layout it might work.

An A/C with a hose really will help.

Also I have bubble wrap on windows when needed, keeps cold and heat out.

[quote TheOpportuneMoment]@ErrolTheDragon just checked the Amazon listing and you're right actually, it's an 'air cooler' not an air conditioner. It's like a big tower fan that you put ice packs and water into. It's supposed to draw the air in, run it through the cold water and push it back out cold again. It was a waste of money in hindsight, bought in panic last summer! [/quote]
Oh....I made that mistake. Luckily I got a full refund.

A ceiling fan with a DC motor for silent running.

Is DC's room next to the airing cupboard or other heat source?

Also, window open as often as poss to help with circulation. My DC's used to love a ( timed ) fan on them, the gentle wurring seemed to help them to sleep. I put it back on before they woke up and re opened windows.

Light clothing, 4.5 tog duvet etc. Radiator off or on 1. Wooden flooring in the room is cooler than carpet. Turn off TV's, games consoles etc, they all generate low heat. If any heating/hot water pipework running under DC's room, turn off heating and hot water when not needed. Small air con unit also good investment for very hot days.

Address and remove any ambient /residual and recurring heat sources. Open upstairs windows to crate a draft and movement of air in upper floor , if you have one. Leave blind up or slightly open to allow air in. Will all make room easier to cool , once heat sources have been removed.

His room is directly above the kitchen, and it's noticeably worse when we've been using the oven. Good point about the hot water pipes though, I'll try setting the water on a timer.

Thanks for all of the tips, going to go and do some research and see what will work best!

Op, if your boiler is in the kitchen and DC's room is above,heat from boiler will be rising. Also, boiler cranking up ,in order to bring water and heating up to temp , may well also wake your DC.!

Either move yr DC into a diff room or lessen the amount of time yr boiler/heating is on .

Is his room directly under the roof?

We had this issue with DCs’ eaves bedrooms. Put new insulation and double glazed windows in. Miles miles better.

Not the cheapest but definitely the most environmentally friendly solution and also cheaper than running an air con unit if we stay here in the long run

Moving him into a different room is an option but not ideal (spare room is big enough for both a spare bed - husband snores! - and WFH office set up, but his current room isn't). Plus we want another in the future so would need sorting out at some point anyway.

Think I'm going to buy an air con unit, look into changing his roller blind for proper shutters and see if having the water on a timer helps. It's hard to cut back on the heating as downstairs is bloody freezing at this time of year (conservatory leaks heat even with the door closed but can't currently afford to do anything about it).

"look into changing his roller blind for proper shutters"

Will make no difference Op. waste of money. Blind can be pulled up and shutters opened. Much of a muchness.

Rather than just opening his windows, you need to open his and some on the other side of the house.
Only way to keep our S facing rooms cool is to open the windows in the N facing rooms too.