Keep cool tips and resources

Climate change is resulting in more hot days and more intense heatwaves. Now more than ever it’s important to know the risks of heat and how to protect yourself and others.

Extreme heat can affect anybody, killing more Australians than any other natural disaster. Those more at-risk include people over the age of 65, babies and young children, pregnant women, people with acute or chronic health problems, people who are socially isolated and people who don't have the resources to cool their homes.

Heat stress

Heat-related health problems occur when our bodies can’t cool down well enough to maintain a healthy temperature or become dehydrated through sweating.

Long periods of hot weather can cause heat stress even in healthy people. Signs of heat stress include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, and heavy sweating. If left untreated, this can lead to heatstroke, which can be a life-threatening medical emergency. Heat also triggers sudden events like heart attack or stroke or worsens existing medical conditions like kidney or lung disease.

Read more about how heat affects our health on the BetterHealth Channel's Heat-related health problems page.

If you feel don't well call your doctor, Nurse-On-Call on 1300 606 024 or in an emergency, call 000 (triple zero).

Stay safe, keep cool during heatwaves

We can stay safe and healthy by:

• preparing for heatwaves
• knowing what to do to stay safe during a heatwave
• recovering from heatwaves

Preparing for a heatwave

• Check weather forecasts often at the Bureau of Meteorology website
• Reschedule outdoor events, physical or sporting activities on days when extreme heat is forecast
• If you are on medication, check with your doctor before going out in the summer heat
• Stock up on food and medicines so you don't have to leave the house during the heat
• Work out which room stays coolest and move a fan there, and shut the doors to the rest of the house
• Freeze ice and place wet towels in the fridge
• Plan cool meals – cooking creates heat
• Prepare your home by shading west facing windows, cleaning air conditioner filters and making sure you have window coverings. Read about more home cooling tips.

Staying safe and healthy during a heatwave

• Close blinds and curtains early in the morning
• Use fans or air conditioning: consider saving energy and money by just cooling one room in your house. Run your airconditioner at 24-26 degrees to keep your energy bills down
• Drink plenty of water regularly even if you're not thirsty. Avoid caffeine or sweet drinks
• Cool down with wet towels and cool showers
• Wear loose clothing
• Plan to go out only during the cooler parts of the day
• Ensure pets have water and shade
• Hot cars can kill, so never leave children or pets in cars
• Know who to contact if you need help
• Be a good neighbour – check in on your neighbours to make sure they're ok

Recovering from a heatwave

Some people can get sick from the heat even once a heatwave has passed. Once the heatwave has passed, look after yourself and your neighbours and loved ones by:

• Opening the doors and windows in your house to allow the cool air in
• Drinking extra fluids for three days
• Making sure any food in your fridge is still good
• Checking in on friends and neighbours to make sure they’re ok
• Thinking about what worked and what you might do next time

Check in on others

If you have older, sick, frail or isolated neighbours, check in on them on heatwave days to make sure they're okay. Pass on the tips listed above to help them reduce their chances of suffering from a heat related illness.

Keep cool factsheets

Check out our handy tips for staying safe during heatwaves.

Keep cool in Darebin map

Download our Keep Cool in Darebin map(PDF, 5MB). This is your guide to where to cool down, get a drink of water and access help on a hot day in Darebin – for free.

For a hard copy of the map, please email climateemergency@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Webinar recording "Keep cool, save money"

To learn more about how you can keep cool and save money this summer, check out our webinar recording. Our friends at Uniting give practical advice on how to keep your house cool and save on your electricity and gas bills.

Stay Cool Save Money Webinar video

You can view the slides from the webinar(PDF, 3MB).

Find more great tips on saving energy and saving money in your home.

Reduce your energy bills

If you would like help to pay your power bills and use less energy in your home, you can contact DIVRS on 03 9480 8200 or Uniting on 1800 313 126. They can help you understand your bills, talk with your energy provider and get help to pay your bills, and suggest simple steps to save energy in your home. Interpreters are available.

And you'll find plenty more tips on saving energy in your home while keeping cool on our Save energy and lower your energy bills page.

Keep cool postcards

Download our handy postcard(PDF, 3MB) for some great tips on keeping cool in your home. 

More information

Visit the Better Health Channel for more on how to cope and stay safe in extreme heat.