As Toronto experiences extremely hot and humid weather, many are cranking up their air conditioners — but not everyone has that luxury, requiring them to look for alternative methods to beat the heat.
Environment Canada issued a heat warning for the city and much of southern Ontario on Sunday as temperatures are expected to rise to 34 C, feeling closer to 45 with the humidity. After a blazing weekend, the city will continue to face sweltering conditions as the work week begins with temperatures climbing to a high of 34 C on Monday and Tuesday.
Fortunately, experts say there are ways to provide relief even without an A/C.
How do I stay cool in a heat wave without air conditioning?
Although experts say having an indoor cool space is the best option during heat events, especially at peak hours of the day, it’s important to plan ahead if you don’t have access to air conditioning.
“When we have many days in a row of hot weather without cool temperatures at night — when it doesn’t cool down at night and the body doesn’t get a break and is unable to cool down — remaining in these hot indoor spaces for several days in a row can be dangerous, and even deadly,” said Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at Unity Health Toronto and expert in climate change and health.
Extra precautions should be taken for those most vulnerable to heat, but generally it’s important to stay hydrated and use water to cool down.
Green says stepping into a cold shower can help relieve the body from overheating. Placing ice packs on parts of the body that are able to dissipate heat can provide immediate cooling effects. These parts include the underarms, back of the head and the groin.
Green also suggests avoiding using an oven during a heat wave if there’s no air conditioning.
Using curtains and blinds to block out the sun can help keep an indoor space cool, said Lyn Adamson, the co-chair of the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign, who added that having good ventilation in your home is also important.
Cracking open a window, using a ceiling fan and placing a cold wet cloth around your neck are other ways Adamson, who doesn’t have air conditioning in her home, beats the heat.
While ceiling and oscillating fans can be a good way to cool down your home and body, Green says it’s only effective as long as the air temperature is 35 C or cooler. Anything above that can risk having the fan further circulate hot air.
Green emphasizes that residents should take advantage of natural cool green spaces around ravines and near parks with plenty of trees.
“We know in general that green spaces can be up to 12 degrees cooler than a concrete urban area,” she said.
Adamson said “greening” our communities for natural shade, such as planting trees, can help in the long term. It can also mitigate the urban heat island effect — a situation where densely packed cities with highrises close to each other can experience higher temperatures than rural areas.
If you don’t have air conditioning, it’s important to access public cool spaces during the hottest hours of the day, including the city’s cooling centres, community centres, shopping malls and libraries.
The city of Toronto has a directory for cooling spaces located across the city.
What can I use instead of an air conditioner?
While air conditioners are the most effective at cooling indoor spaces, Green says another option is a swamp cooler, which is an evaporative cooling device that uses a fan plus a source of water to absorb heat in the air and reduce indoor temperatures.
The water in the device evaporates and cools the air after it collects warm, dry air over water-soaked pads. The cool air spreads through an indoor space and leaves a cooling effect; however, although the device is more affordable than an air conditioner, it works better in dry heat and risks adding even more humidity to the air during humid heat events.
According to many “do it yourself” guides online, a makeshift air conditioner can be made by cutting a few holes in a hard or Styrofoam cooler, securing a medium-sized fan on the hole while placing two PVC pipes to vent air out of the cooler. The box is then filled with ice or frozen water bottles and the fan is turned on so that air blows on the ice. This results in cool, icy air but it gives a targeted cooling effect rather than cooling an entire space.
Adamson says it’s worth looking into investing in a heat pump for your home, providing both heating and cooling but are more efficient and reduce emissions. Heat pumps are costly, but Adamson says grants are available in Ontario to help homeowners make the switch.
What can extreme heat do to the body?
Heat can be deadly, especially when temperatures soar above 30 C, Green said.
These types of temperatures can lead to direct heat-related illness such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Green said extreme heat can also worsen underlying chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and some mental health conditions.
She added that people are most at risk when the indoor heat is bad. Vulnerable groups most at risk of heat-related illness include older populations, children, anyone who works outside for extended periods of time such as construction workers and gig workers, those who work for hours in a place without cool indoor air, homeless individuals and people with chronic conditions who take certain medications such as blood pressure pills, allergy medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics.
Green added that these types of medications sometimes interfere with the body’s ability to cope with the heat.
Signs of heat illness include feeling unwell, nausea, dizziness and headache.
As this summer brings the heat, Green says it’s important that we check on our neighbours and anyone we know who might be vulnerable to the high temperatures.
