IKEA's Budget Smart Room Thermometer Is My Secret Weapon During Extreme Hot Weather — This Is How to Use It to 'Plan Better' for the Heat
It costs less than £5/$10, and takes the guesswork out of what to do when temperatures indoors start to feel unbearable
Europe may have sold out of every last air conditioner unit, but there is one piece of home tech that I think everyone should own as high temperatures and heatwaves become more of an issue: the smart room thermometer.
If you've got young children, or care for someone older or with health issues, it's something you may already do religiously in a heatwave, as we all know such temperatures pose a greater risk to people in those groups.
However, for everyone else, it gives you a weapon in the fight to keep cool in your home — knowledge. Yes, while a smart thermometer isn't going to actually cool down a room, it's going to help you understand what's going on in your home and how to work around the temperature to keep as comfortable as possible.
It may seem like a niche bit of kit to own, but my go-to is IKEA's TIMMERFLOTTE, a stylish, minimalist temperature and humidity sensor that I picked up in store for £5/$9.99. Or, if you want it quickly, Govee's Smart Thermostat is available on Amazon Prime, so it will deliver in one day. Both offer an easy-to-use device that can help you plan better when it's hot — here's how.
IKEA's take on a temperature sensor has great reviews, especially given its price, with buyers saying it gives accurate temperature readings. While some reviewers warn that its humidity sensor isn't quite as accurate (off by as much as 5%), it's still going to give you a good ballpark for when humidity is causing you issues.
This new range of smart clocks from IKEA might not have smart capabilities, but is great for checking temperature and humidity at a glance.
Another budget wonder from IKEA, this temperature sensor and hygrometer would be perfect for a bedside table.
1. Keep an Eye Out for Unsafe Temperatures
Of course, the most obvious way to use IKEA's TIMMERFLOTTE is to use it to monitor rooms to check temperatures in a room remotely, ensuring that they're not reaching dangerous levels. It's hard to guess the temperature of a room, but feeling alone, so this gives you a little more peace of mind, or the knowledge of when staying put in a room might be dangerous for a more vulnerable person.
2. Measure Different Rooms at Different Times of Day
More than just using a smart home thermometer to see how hot you are, it's a clever gadget to buy for a heatwave because you can track the temperature of different rooms at different times of day during hot weather.
What I discovered about my home is that upstairs is generally cooler in the mornings, as I've often slept with my windows open. However, towards the afternoon, it gets hotter upstairs by a couple of degrees, presumably from heat radiating from my loft, where the roof has heated up after being exposed to the sun all morning. Right there, it gives me the start of a routine to make sure I'm not accidentally spending time in the hottest part of the house at the wrong time of day.
You can do this by either buying multiple sensors and having them in every room (they're inexpensive, after all) or by just moving one sensor around the house and making note of the differences.
3. Figure Out If Your House Is Hotter or Cooler Than Outside
The big debate — should you open or close windows during hot weather? Most experts agree that when the temperature outside is hotter than inside your home, windows should stay closed, opening them when the outside temperature has cooled down. This is usually at night, and vital if you want to sleep well in the heat, but it's hard to tell by feel alone when it's time to open them again.
A room thermometer strips out the guesswork, so you can get to grips with what time of day to fling open the windows and make the most of cooler air from outside.
4. Track the Humidity Measurement, too
Recent heatwaves have been accompanied by high humidity, which makes them feel even more uncomfortable. High humidity prevents your sweat from evaporating, making the room feel hotter than it actually is.
IKEA's temperature and humidity sensor will help you identify when humidity is a contributing factor, so you can know when to turn on a dehumidifier and bring down the air's moisture in a room. Try this dehumidifier from Blue Air if you want one stylish enough for a modern home.
Alternative Smart Thermometers to Buy
Looking for more smart ways to beat the heat? Our wellness editor rated Shark's handheld fan, the ChillPill, nearly perfect scores recently, ideal for keeping you feeling fresh when on the move.
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