Almost everyone has experienced the sleepless nights resulting from summer heat waves. Air conditioning may be an answer, personally I dislike a very cold room I just want a cool bed.

Well this is my solution.

Step 1: Cooling Breeze

Many years ago it struck me that what I needed in bed was a cooling breeze that would save me having to lie on top of the bed with the windows wide open.

With that in mind I assembled a simple plywood trunking with a space at the bottom for a small PC fan. The top of the trunking I tucked under the sheets at my feet. Running from a wall wart power supply (12 volts) and a switch by the bed side I was able to turn the cooling breeze on and off as I required.

Unfortunately the old one got dismantled for other projects in the winter - as yet this year hasn't been hot enough to get me making another. BUT

It is very simple a 6 mm thick plywood box shaped like a letter S in a suitable size for the fan you will use so that the lower part sits on the ground and the upper part sticks over the edge of the bed under the sheets. You will have to select the sizes to suite the height of your bed.

In the lower section a hole has a PC fan, or similar, is mounted in it.

I used an old 12 volt cooling fan because I had it but any fan that can move air will do.

Mounting will depend on what your fan looks like so again you have to design to suite your parts.

My fan was powered by an old wall wart type power supply with a bedside switch to turn on and off as required.

This design idea is so flexible you may be able to find suitable trunking in the kitchen department of your local DIY store.

Step 2: Advanced Models.

In the extremes of summer heat, (not something experienced often in the UK), I found extra cooling was required. To provide this I froze a 2 ltr soda (lemonade) bottle full of water and put it in the vertical section of the trunking. The air passing this frozen water picked up that extra bit of cool I needed.

Step 3: Result!

The end result is a personalised air conditioned bed, by putting the duct on my side I can even isolate the cooling effect so my dearly beloved doesn't get too cold.

Adding a temperature sensor and automating the control with a Picaxe micro controller was for me a good move although most may find it a step too far.