Tuesday 6 October 2015

Environmentally Friendly Ways To Keep Your House Cool.

Living in South Africa? Yes. Paying ridiculous electricity bills? Yes. Wanting to save energy while still keeping your house cool? Of course! So how are you going to do this?

Let’s start off with passive cooling- the less expensive way that will keep your home a good few degrees cooler. The purpose of passive cooling is to use the architectural design of your house to improve the indoor temperature without using too much electricity. The following elements influence the passive cooling of your home:
  1. What direction your is house facing
  2. Walls and windows protection from the sun
  3. The type of material your roof is made of- reflective materials usually keep the building cooler.
  4. Air ventilation throughout the house
  5. Materials inside your house such as certain tiling, surfaces, etc. Using material such as stainless steel cladding on your walls and surfaces will make certain areas of your home feel cooler.

Good insulation is absolutely vital when it comes to keeping your house cool. This includes your roof, floors, walls, doors and windows. The following influences insulation:

  1. Trees shading your house
  2. Proper sealing around windows and doors
  3. Thick window coverings such as screens and curtains
  4. Window shutters and screens
  5. Window tints, also  double glazed windows

Air circulation can also help keep the temperature at bay in summer. Air vents in the walls and ceilings can help air escape; also opening doors and windows in the evening when the temperature drops will help bring in cooler air.

When it comes to either opening up your doors and windows for fresh air or closing your doors and windows to keep out the heat in the morning, both can benefit you depending on if your home is insulated well or not. If your home is not insulated well, rather open up all the doors and windows to let in fresh air.

Also, when it is extremely hot, avoid turning on appliances that produce extra heat; this includes, stoves, hair dryers, dishwashers, lights, TVs, etc.