Dubai is a metropolitan like no other in the Middle East, and it’s a city that doesn’t sleep and where you can find anything you could ever dream of. The great thing about it is the fact that it works for everyone, and has something to offer people of all backgrounds and tastes. If you happen to be a nature lover or someone who enjoys the outdoors, you’ll find a ton of activities to do from skydiving to sandboarding and hiking trails. If you’re more into the indoors kind of activities like shopping or exploring art galleries, you’ll find plenty of those too. If you had to find a flaw in the city, it’d have to be the weather. Initially built on desert grounds, Dubai’s weather can be unpredictable and it’s not the easiest to protect your home from.
These are some tips on how to protect your home from Dubai’s weather at its worst.
Start on the inside
Protecting yourself from the Dubai heat starts on the inside of your house, not the outside. A simple step like changing your sheets can go a long way into how well you’ll face the desert heat. Opt for sheets of natural fibers like cotton or linen because they’re more breathable and can help draw moisture from the body in hot weather. You should also go for lighter colors because they reflect sunlight as opposed to darker colors who absorb it –– earthy colors are your best choices.
Pay the bills
A little obvious? Probably, but if you drifted away and forgot to pay your bills on time, you can easily find yourself without air conditioning in a 100-degree weather, which is something you really don’t want to go through. Dubai’s sun can get scorching hot, and houses tend to overheat if they’re not air-conditioned.
Waterproofing
While it doesn’t rain often in Dubai, when it does, it can get heavy. This is why it’s always best to take your precautions, because if you don’t, you risk having your house water damaged. Still, you can easily find a waterproofing company in Dubai, and most provide plenty of services from insulation to waterproofing and GRP lining. Many contractors in the country don’t take the possibility of rainfall into consideration –– because it is infrequent –– but that doesn’t mean the house should be designed without it.
The windows
Believe it or not, windows make a lot of difference in how well heat will seep into your place. You need to replace your windows with vinyl ones that have either tinted or double pane glass. They don’t come cheap, but they will definitely keep the heat out, and you’ll be very grateful for that in July and August in Dubai.
Keep it sealed
So, one thing that can really problematic in Dubai is the dust. It comes fast and it comes in quantities, and if you are not prepared for that, your house can easily become a desert of its own. You need to make sure the place is properly sealed and all the doors, windows, and pretty much any possible crevice are tightly locked and there’s no chance of any dust sneaking into the place. Keeping the place sealed doesn’t only help with the dust; it also helps with keeping the heat under control. Whether it’s to stop the cold getting out or the heat coming in, locking the doors and windows helps.
Green’s the answer
Going green is always a good idea, not just for the environment but also for yourself. Plants can keep your place shaded and block the sunlight from invading your peace. Plants also block the radiation, so that’s always a good idea. They help on the inside too. Plants like Aloe Vera and Weeping Fig has a purifying effect on the air and they help keep the place cool.
Take extra precautions
Dubai’s weather can get pretty dreadfully at times, and this is why it’s always better to take extra precautions, more than usual when things are about to get ugly. Keep your air conditioners routinely cleaned and under maintenance, because an AC is truly your best friend in Dubai’s heat. It also helps to think of creative ways to keep the place cool. Get a fountain or plant a garden; do whatever it takes to take away from the heat and keep the place cool and breathable.
A good point to consider is to also get rid of anything that has high carbon emissions, because these usually translate to heat. So that means lose the incandescent bulbs for LED instead. You’d be surprised how much of a difference they could make.
