Just like heating, cooling requirements could be dramatically reduced through careful building design. In addition to high amounts of insulation and tight construction, consider measures to mirror or block sunlight.
Reflective roofing can help to eliminate ac costs by continuing to keep your roof cooler - although, having a highly insulated ceiling or roof, the advantage will not be as great as in a poorly insulated building. Window glazings may have a huge effect on cooling loads; some glazings have been developed specifically to bar most of the solar heat gain.
These glazings make a lot of sense in hot climates; even in moderate and cooler climates, they should be considered for big regions of east- or west-facing windows as well as on skylights or roof windows, where unwanted solar heat gain often contributesmost to ac loads.
Also feel about how exactly to maintain the sun's rays from reaching your windows. Simple overhangs, awnings, or slatted exterior shutters are simple enough methods to reduce summertime heat gain through windows. Overhangs perform best on south-facing windows; our prime summer sun is going to be blocked, while the low winter sun can continue to get to the windows.
For east- and west-facing windows, plantings in many cases are more effective for shading, since they're low enough down to bar the reduced morning sun in the east and also the low afternoon sun in the west. Protect trees on the building site that will give you natural shading, or plant new trees, shrubs, annuals, and trellised vines that work for your climate.
Natural or forced ventilation is really a cooling strategy that may be used in an environmentally friendly home, particularly during the night, once the outside air is cooler compared to indoor temperature. The concept would be to bring plenty of air to the house during the night when it is cool outside, then close-up the home throughout the daytime, keeping the outside air from entering.
Even in warmer climates, reliance upon nighttime ventilative cooling can shorten the growing season where ac is needed, but bear in mind that mugginess levels can make this tactic impractical - because an aura conditioner needs to continue to work harder to get rid of excess moisture.
When the outdoor temperature during the night is greater than about 65°F or when the outdoor air is extremely humid, nighttime ventilation probably isn't appropriate. But in many situations, nighttime cooling constitutes a lot of sense.
This nighttime ventilation strategy could be accomplished by simply opening windows to permit nighttime breezes circulation with the house. Another strategy would be to use a whole-house (attic) fan on the top floor of your house and operate that fan during the night using the windows open on the first floor.
The whole-house fan enables you to quickly cool the whole house; it uses electricity, but much less than the usual standard ac. If you use a whole-house fan, use a model having a tight-fitting, insulated lid to avoid excessive air leakage as well as heat loss throughout the winter season.
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