Top Trend: How to keep your cool this summer

With temperatures soaring and the availability of electricity declining, you're going to need great ways to stay cool this summer that don't require air conditioners or electric fans.

Here are our top eight recommendations:

*Plant shady trees and shrubs on the sunny side of your home. This will cut down on the amount of sunlight entering your windows, and if you plant deciduous trees, you won't lose too much light or warmth in winter. Bring some greenery indoors too, if you can, because plants give off moisture and cool the air around them.

*If you have a large roof void, invest in one or two solar-powered attic fans to blow out the hot air that rises into this space. This will significantly lower the temperature in your home, especially if your ceilings are not insulated.

*Use your appliances less, even when you do have power. Dry laundry outside, hand-wash your dishes and don't use the stove or oven when you could use the braai, even if it's too hot to eat outside. 

*Steadily replace any incandescent light bulbs in your home with energy-efficient bulbs, which give off less heat. And try to use rechargeable lanterns instead of candles when you don't have electricity.

*Let in a cool breeze by opening your windows in the early morning and late evening but keep them and your curtains or blinds closed during the day. To cool down a bedroom before you go to sleep, you can also hang a damp sheet in front of an open window or patio door.

*Heat can make you toss and turn all night, so invest in looser-weave cotton or linen bedding as this will give you the coolest sleep. Choose hybrid and inner-spring mattresses because they have a layer of springs or coils that air can flow through. Fill your winter hot-water bottles with ice water in summer and use them to lower your own body temperature and help you fall asleep. 

*Take cold or at least cool showers, and stay hydrated. On a blazing day, it is important to get your core temperature down and to provide your body with enough water to keep cooling itself through sweating. You should of course also wear loose-fitting clothes in hot climates and avoid getting sunburnt. 

*Eat cold things like ice cream, frozen yoghurt and slushies and smoothies made from frozen fruit. Just be careful of the sugar content, though, because sugar - and any kind of alcoholic drink - will make your temperature rise.