The same heatwave hits two flats very differently depending on which way they face. Understanding your apartment's orientation tells you exactly how hard to work at cooling — and where to focus your effort. Here's how to adapt.
Why orientation matters so much
Direct sunlight through windows is the biggest source of indoor heat, so which windows catch the sun, and for how long, largely determines how hot your flat gets. A south-facing flat receives sun for much of the day; a west-facing one bakes through the hot afternoon and evening; an east-facing one heats in the morning; and a north-facing flat gets little direct sun at all. Your orientation sets the difficulty of your cooling job.
North-facing: the easy case
A north-facing flat is the lucky one. With little direct sunlight, it heats up less and stays cooler through a heatwave. Often you can keep it comfortable with just a fan and good night ventilation (see our Stoßlüften guide), without aggressive shading or active cooling. The strategy is light-touch: ventilate at night, run a fan, and you're usually fine.
South- and west-facing: the hard case
A south- or west-facing flat takes hours of direct sun and heats up fast, so it needs the full toolkit:
- Shade aggressively from outside — these windows are your main heat source, so external blinds or shades make the biggest difference.
- Keep windows closed and shaded by day so the sun and hot air stay out.
- Ventilate hard at night to flush the day's stored heat.
- Add active cooling — an air cooler for dry heat or a mobile AC, because passive methods alone often can't keep up with that much sun.
West-facing flats are especially tricky because they peak in the evening, just when you want to relax or sleep.
East-facing: morning heat
An east-facing room heats in the morning and eases in the afternoon. Shade those windows early — before the morning sun reaches them — and the room can recover as the sun moves around. It's an intermediate case, easier than south or west but needing morning attention.
Match effort to orientation
The practical rule: shade hardest where the sun hits longest. Concentrate your best shading and any active cooling on the sun-facing rooms, and lean on fans and night ventilation for the cooler-facing ones. If your flat has rooms facing different ways, make a cooler-facing room your retreat and seal off the sun-facing side during the day (see our daytime cooling guide).
The takeaway
Orientation decides your cooling strategy: a north-facing flat often needs only a fan and night ventilation, while a south- or west-facing flat needs aggressive outdoor shading plus active cooling. Shade hardest where the sun lingers longest, and pick a cooler-facing retreat. Check which cooling products suit your flat in stock near you.