Keep Cool This Kiwi Summer: Top Appliances to Beat the Heat

Fans are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to cool your home. Portable fans are energy efficient, easy to set up and provide immediate relief by circulating cooler air around you. Today’s fans are far more advanced than they used to be, offering multiple speed settings, timer functions, Wi-Fi compatibility, remote controls and quiet performance, giving you complete command over your comfort. Summer relief often begins with selecting the right fan, as not all fans work the same way or suit the same space.

If you are looking to buy a fan for your living room or large bedroom, a pedestal fan will meet your needs. With a larger, powerful oscillating airflow and adjustable height, they provide effective cooling without high power usage, making them easy on your energy bills. This is especially helpful if you run your fan for long periods of time. If you want a strong, reliable breeze without a large upfront cost, pedestal fans are a smart and practical choice. 

On the other hand, tower fans are a reliable option for compact spaces. Tower fans offer a tall, slim design that slides neatly into corners or beside furniture. If you are cooling a smaller space, such as a study, bedroom or apartment, a tower fan provides steady airflow without taking up valuable room. One of their biggest advantages is their quieter performance due to their bladeless or concealed blade design. A bladeless tower fan also picks up less dust than conventional fans, making it optimal for a home with young children. 

For spaces that need a cooling boost, a portable air conditioner is an optimal option. These units actively cool the air by drawing in warm air through a duct pipe, removing heat and moisture and circulating cooled air back into the room. This makes them especially useful in humid conditions, where fans alone may not provide enough relief.

Unlike fixed air conditioning systems, portable ACs do not require drilling or wiring. As long as the room has a window for the outlet, you can move the unit between rooms. Ceiling fans and heat pumps don’t fulfill everyone's needs and often require a high upfront cost. This makes portable air conditioners a flexible option for renters, multi-level homes or anyone wanting targeting cooling without installing a full home air conditioning system.

Many models also act as dehumidifiers and provide air filtering benefits, which is a lifesaver during humid, sticky weather. Some models, such as the Midea Portable Air Conditioner, even offer heating modes - giving you a versatile appliance that works all year round.

Summer drinks aren’t the same without ice. Countertop ice makers take away the inconvenience of buying bags of ice or waiting hours for freezer trays to freeze. Whether you are topping up a chilled lemonade or making cocktails for guests, an ice maker ensures your drinks are always perfectly cool. Most countertop ice makers can produce ice in as little as 7-15 minutes, making them much quicker and more efficient than traditional methods. Making ice in your freezer can also take a while and sometimes absorb the food smells around it, giving your drinks a strange taste. A dedicated ice maker solves these issues, making it perfect for parties and drink stations. Some units even offer different ice shapes like nugget, bullet or clear cubes tailored to specific drink types. Their lightweight, compact design also makes them easy to bring out at your next gathering. How cool is that!

Turn your home into a café with an iced coffee maker. When it’s too hot to head out but you are craving an iced drink, this innovative appliance delivers perfectly chilled coffee in minutes. Models like Morphy’s Iced Coffee Maker are designed to rapidly cool freshly brewed hot coffee, locking in the rich taste and eliminating the need for refrigeration. Its standout feature is its variable strength control, allowing you to tailor your brew exactly to your tastes. If you’re a daily coffee drinker, you will save money and enjoy your favourite café style drink exactly the way you want it. 

Blended drinks and fresh juices are hydrating and refreshing options for hot summer days. Pair a quality blender with fresh fruit and ice from your ice maker to create chilled drinks throughout the day. A high-quality blender, such as the Vitamix range, can easily crush ice, frozen fruit and seeds creating smooth textures ranging from thick smoothie bowls to icy margaritas. 

Juicers also support healthy habits and help hydrate your body with summer fruits, leaving you feeling light and refreshed. Features like wide feed chutes save preparation time and easy to clean parts mean you spend less time washing up. These features are found in brands like Kuvings that help make juicing more convenient. You can even experiment with homemade sauces for your BBQ or frozen yogurt blends. For families, smoothies and juices are a great way to keep kids hydrated while sneaking in extra nutrients. 

Make summer even sweeter with your own homemade smoothie bowls, soft-serve and sorbets. Ice-cream and frozen treat makers let you experiment with new flavours that suit your preferences and dietary needs from the comfort of your own home. Models like the Ninja Creami have gone viral for their ability to turn almost anything into ice-cream texture treats, bringing fun and creativity to dessert time. A highlighted benefit of this model is the full control you have over the ingredients you use, giving you the option to create sugar-free or dairy-free treats without having to search for specialty places to go out. Combining iced treats with your own fresh ingredients makes it an ideal solution for cooling yourself down this summer. 

Make the most of your outdoors and fresh air this summer with portable barbecues. Whether you are chilling at the beach, out fishing or having a picnic, a portable BBQ fulfills every food need. The compact and lightweight design allows you to sear, roast and grill with ease in any location, making it ideal for couples, families or groups. Its smaller size means it uses less fuel while still heating quickly and evenly. Modern portable BBQs offer excellent temperature control and fast heat up times making them reliable and convenient. Having a barbecue outdoors in shaded areas can be a good way to take a break from the heat and harsh sun.   

Transform a corner of your kitchen or living room into an inviting wine display. A wine cabinet is not just for wine experts, it is designed to store wine at the ideal temperature and humidity. Regular fridges can be too cold and dry out the bottle’s cork, while a wine cabinet provides controlled temperature, reduced vibration and proper humidity for wine and cork preservation. This ensures that your wine remains in perfect conditions to age gracefully. With options ranging from single-zones to dual-zoned models, you can find the ideal fit for red, white and sparkling wines. These features combined with the premium components such as glass doors, LED lighting and wooden shelving, turns your collection into a showpiece. 

Similar to a wine cabinet, a beverage centre is designed to keep your beverages at an optimal temperature while maintaining their quality and flavour. They are perfect for soft drinks, juice, sparkling water or craft beers. Unlike a standard fridge, they are specifically built for fast cooling and frequent opening, making it ideal for host nights. Freestanding models can be placed anywhere that is most convenient - like the living room, to avoid waiting for every ad break for a new drink. While built-in models fit seamlessly under a kitchen bench, adding a sleek touch to any modern kitchen. Whichever option you choose, a beverage centre keeps drinks cold and ready while reducing fridge clutter and making entertaining easier. 

Summer means more gatherings, hostings and definitely more food. A chest freezer helps you stay organised and prepared by offering additional storage space. It prevents you from cramming meats, vegetables or desserts into an already full fridge freezer. With the festive season deals in supermarkets, you can save money by buying in bulk, freezing leftovers to reduce waste and storing baked goods for later. Not only that, but chest freezers consume less energy as their design minimises the escape of cold air when opened, helping keep your power bill low. Well-known brands like Haier have strategically engineered some models with hybrid features, allowing you to seamlessly switch between freezer and refrigerator modes, depending on your needs. A chest freezer gives you confidence that you always have space for family meals, summer berries, extra ice-cream, BBQ meats and emergency dinner options.