Cool Your Home Naturally This Summer (Part 1)
Natural ventilation makes the most of air motion already in your home and around it. This is th primary passive cooling strategy used when air condition did not exist. Harnessing this passive cooling strategy will save you money and time, as well as the waste of energy in the long run. These tips will help you slash (or eliminate) you air conditioning bills.
Understanding seasonal wind patterns will help you adjust your window openings, outdoor spaces and windbreaks to increase your comfort without relying on nonrenweable fuels and energy.
Consider the following points:
• What knid of windows does your house have: casement, double-hung or fixed?
• Does your house have other centilation openings (this means vents, exhaust fans or turbine ventilators, or a cupola?)
• Are there operable windows or other vents on opposite ends of your house? Are some high and some low?
• Can you open enough windows to provide good ventilation in hot weather?
• Does your landscape funnel breezes to your house in the sunner and protect it from cold winter winds?
• Does your house’s enclosure have cracks that admit cold air in the winter or hot air in the summer?
• How high are your ceilings? Do they allow warm air to collect high in the room, which can be a blessing in the summer but a problem in the winter.
• Do vents or fans exhaust unwanted air, such as unpleasant smells and excess moisture?
• Even with windows open, are there “dead air” spaces in your home?
Best Best for Passive Cooling:
1. The minimization of indoor heat generation. For example, using energy-efficient light bulbs, reducing hot water use, using smaller and more efficient appliances and scheduling heat-producing tasks (such as clothes drying) for cooler hours of the day.
2. Weatherizarion. Caulking, sealing and weatherstripping all building envelop seams, cracks and openings reduces heating and cooling energy requirements.
3. Insulation. Insulating your home or installing heat-reflective foil reduces heat conduction into your living space.
4. Window shading and glazing. Solar radiation passing through windos can contribute 20 precent to heat gain in hot, humid climates. Window shading devices and glazing technology minimize heat gain while transmitting daylight, which reduces electrical lighting needs.
5. Roof whitening and attic ventilation. There are two effective measures to reduce heat gain by either reflecting heat away from the roof or flushing heat out through the attic.
6. Trees and landscaping. Planting broad, leafy shade trees that block the sun will reduce the amount of solar radiation absorbed by your house.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Never charge your cell phone overnight. It only takes a few hours to fully charge a totally dead battery on a cell phone, once it is charged you waste the other hours of it charging plus it can weaken your battery on your cell phone as well.
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