Keeping Your Cool: Four Low-Tech (and One High-Tech) Way to Keep Your House Cool in the Coming Heat Waves
Okay, we all just experienced it. Summer temperatures in the nineties or low one hundreds. In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia this used to be an anomaly that happened once every three or four years. Now it is something that seems to be happening a couple times or more every summer. When the hot weather comes, it’s easy to go to the quickest thing that will cool you down whether it be a window air conditioner or dragging out the kiddie pool. While these can be ways to deal with the immediate problem of heat, there are other things you can do to keep your home more comfortable during the summer and maybe even the winter too with some longer-term planning.
Add or modify landscaping to maximize your home’s energy efficiency
Often when you think about decreasing heating and cooling costs, the focus is on what can you do to the inside of your home. Focusing on intentional placement of the trees and shrubs outside your home can decrease energy costs too. Well positioned trees, shrubs and vines can provide shade and serve as a windbreak. The Office of Energy Efficiency estimates that carefully positioned trees can reduce the amount of energy a home use by up to 25%. [1] Different climates require different strategies; the climate zone map provides basic strategies for each region and is a good place to start when considering landscaping changes to improve energy efficiency. For our Canadians, here is a more Canada specific resource.
2. Add window awnings
If you’re unfamiliar with them, window awnings are a roof-like, extension that is installed on a building’s exterior which shade windows from the sun’s heat and glare. Window awnings can be fixed or retractable. They can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. Depending on how the window awnings are installed, window awnings can increase energy use in the winter, so be mindful about which kind you select and how they will function in the winter months. More details are available at the window covering page of the Energy Saver website.
3. Install a ceiling fan
Ceiling fans create a wind chill effect to keep a room cooler. Ceiling fans can be used with or without air conditioning. Those who already have air conditioning can still save on heating and cooling costs by installing a ceiling fan. Running the fan will allow you to raise the temperature setting by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit with no reduction in comfort.
For optimal comfort, it’s best to put a fan in each room that needs cooling in the summer. Ceiling fans aren’t a good choice for some situations; ceilings must be at least 8 feet high. You can get more guidance about purchasing ceiling fans by clicking here.
4. Choose energy saving interior window treatments and exterior shading
According to the US Department of Energy, 76% of sunlight that falls on standard double-pane windows enters to become heat. The type of window coverings you choose and using them during cooling makes a big difference. The window treatment that provides the most protection from exterior heat (or cold) is cellular shades. The air pockets in the honeycomb cross-sections act as insulators, increasing the R-value and reducing the conduction of heat through windows. In the summer, well-installed cellular shades can decrease unwanted solar heat by up to 60%, reducing the total solar gain to 20%. For more information about how other window coverings rate in keeping the exterior weather from entering your home, check out the Department of Energy’s website page on Energy Efficient Window Coverings.
Still need interior cooling? Consider a mini-split instead of an air conditioner!
MIDEA Mini-splits can heat and cool your house - a DYI version is available at Small Planet SUpply’s web stores. Learn more about MIDEA ductless mini-splits at the MIDEA Page of our WEBSITE
While the quickest fix for getting cool may seem to be purchasing a window air conditioner, it might not be the best solution in the long run. According to Forbes Consumer, a mini-split can provide your home heating AND cooling while using 40% less energy than an air conditioner. Mini-splits also have an expected 20-year life span versus an 8–10-year life span for an air conditioner unit. [2] Mini-splits are also more efficient than standard centralized air conditioning systems, since energy isn’t being wasted pushing air through ducting.
Most mini-splits require a professional installer, but the Midea units sold by Small Planet Supply can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer. You can see the units available at Small Planet Supply at our United States or Canada online stores.
Want to know more about how you can prepare for extreme heat?
The US Environmental Protection Agency has developed a resource for how people can protect their health during extreme heat. Their report, “Climate Change and Extreme Heat: What You Can Do to Prepare” provides information about how extreme heat affects health and what you can to do be ready for extreme heat events.
You can download the guide by clicking here or on the graphic to the right.