Author Topic: What did you do to keep your house cool?  (Read 18197 times)

Boofinator

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #50 on: May 30, 2019, 11:40:56 AM »
You picked the wrong boat to hop on :)

Or the right one, given your wacky take on the UHI effect.


If you re-read my post, you'll find I don't place as much importance on thermal mass as you seem to argue. I use unscientific terms like "sun-absorbing" and "heat-resistant" which are the non-engineers version of "conductive" and "convective" as I am not an engineer.

However, thermal mass IS relevant in this scenario as it can act as a battery that gets filled up under the right conditions. If a given object readily absorbs the sun's heat energy, it's thermal mass matters. You might argue that regardless of whether or not an object has thermal mass, the heat will be transferred to the surrounding air, and you'd be right - but if windows are open and cross ventilation is in action, the rapidly released heat won't stick around like it would if a given object or material has significant thermal mass to store the heat.

Imagine your cellular shades NOT covering up a tile floor as the morning sun beat down on it. Then imagine 2pm rolls around and you close up your windows as the outdoor temp exceeds the indoor temp. The tile will have stored up all that heat that it otherwise wouldn't have. Yes, the cellular shade on the ground would have absorbed and released SOME (less as a tile floor is more conductive/convective than a cellular shade) heat, but that relatively small amount of heat would have been able to be ventilated during the cool morning hours. Now the tile floor will be releasing the heat into your house and you're not going to let it out at the risk of letting in a bunch of 95 degree air.


Regarding the urban heat island effect, you're right that it's not just one factor. But the major factor is that concrete and asphalt both absorb and STORE heat far more readily than vegetation.

How can I argue that it's the major factor? Not only is it the first factor mentioned in the wikipedia page, but the fact that the UHI effect is most dramatic at night demonstrates the how the thermal mass of concrete and asphalt stores up heat during the day and releases it at night. Not sure what you're saying about insulation as you used the word urban twice and I'm not sure which one was meant to be non-urban, but I don't think that argument would be sound if you meant urban areas have insulative properties. Pavement has none, and the insulation that buildings have are meant to keep the INSIDE a certain temperature.

Let me add to my wacky ideas about the heat island effect by citing sources that don't stem from a Wikipedia article.

https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Vegetation: "With vegetation covering about 20% of our planet, it’s no surprise that plants affect climate.  However, it is surprising how much plants affect weather.  Plants process and release water vapor (necessary for cloud formation) and absorb and emit energy used to drive weather.  Plants also produce their own micro-weather by controlling the humidity and temperature immediately surrounding their leaves through transpiration.  Most plants and forest soils have a very low albedo, (about .03 to .20) and absorb a large amount of energy. However, plants don’t contribute to overall warming because the excess warmth is offset by evaporative cooling from transpiration."

Here's a couple more that are good reading material:

https://cdn.dcs.bluescope.com.au/download/sustainability-technical-bulletin-urban-heat-islands
http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/geomr/roth%20uhi%20hefd13.pdf

Long story short, thermal storage does and doesn't affect the UHI effect. It does in the sense that it delays the time that the UHI is most pronounced (as you mention), but it doesn't in that it is neutral on the energy balance (which is what I was trying to emphasize), because it absorbs as much energy as it releases. Figure 11.2 in that last link is really illustrative of this effect.

As to your comment on the air blowing out the heat in a house with a blind on the floor, yes, you'd be right, in that scenario thermal storage would make a difference. But it is kind of an odd-duck scenario, because nobody has blinds on the floor.

J Boogie

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #51 on: May 30, 2019, 01:36:43 PM »
You picked the wrong boat to hop on :)

Or the right one, given your wacky take on the UHI effect.


If you re-read my post, you'll find I don't place as much importance on thermal mass as you seem to argue. I use unscientific terms like "sun-absorbing" and "heat-resistant" which are the non-engineers version of "conductive" and "convective" as I am not an engineer.

However, thermal mass IS relevant in this scenario as it can act as a battery that gets filled up under the right conditions. If a given object readily absorbs the sun's heat energy, it's thermal mass matters. You might argue that regardless of whether or not an object has thermal mass, the heat will be transferred to the surrounding air, and you'd be right - but if windows are open and cross ventilation is in action, the rapidly released heat won't stick around like it would if a given object or material has significant thermal mass to store the heat.

Imagine your cellular shades NOT covering up a tile floor as the morning sun beat down on it. Then imagine 2pm rolls around and you close up your windows as the outdoor temp exceeds the indoor temp. The tile will have stored up all that heat that it otherwise wouldn't have. Yes, the cellular shade on the ground would have absorbed and released SOME (less as a tile floor is more conductive/convective than a cellular shade) heat, but that relatively small amount of heat would have been able to be ventilated during the cool morning hours. Now the tile floor will be releasing the heat into your house and you're not going to let it out at the risk of letting in a bunch of 95 degree air.


Regarding the urban heat island effect, you're right that it's not just one factor. But the major factor is that concrete and asphalt both absorb and STORE heat far more readily than vegetation.

How can I argue that it's the major factor? Not only is it the first factor mentioned in the wikipedia page, but the fact that the UHI effect is most dramatic at night demonstrates the how the thermal mass of concrete and asphalt stores up heat during the day and releases it at night. Not sure what you're saying about insulation as you used the word urban twice and I'm not sure which one was meant to be non-urban, but I don't think that argument would be sound if you meant urban areas have insulative properties. Pavement has none, and the insulation that buildings have are meant to keep the INSIDE a certain temperature.

Let me add to my wacky ideas about the heat island effect by citing sources that don't stem from a Wikipedia article.

https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Vegetation: "With vegetation covering about 20% of our planet, it’s no surprise that plants affect climate.  However, it is surprising how much plants affect weather.  Plants process and release water vapor (necessary for cloud formation) and absorb and emit energy used to drive weather.  Plants also produce their own micro-weather by controlling the humidity and temperature immediately surrounding their leaves through transpiration.  Most plants and forest soils have a very low albedo, (about .03 to .20) and absorb a large amount of energy. However, plants don’t contribute to overall warming because the excess warmth is offset by evaporative cooling from transpiration."

Here's a couple more that are good reading material:

https://cdn.dcs.bluescope.com.au/download/sustainability-technical-bulletin-urban-heat-islands
http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/geomr/roth%20uhi%20hefd13.pdf

Long story short, thermal storage does and doesn't affect the UHI effect. It does in the sense that it delays the time that the UHI is most pronounced (as you mention), but it doesn't in that it is neutral on the energy balance (which is what I was trying to emphasize), because it absorbs as much energy as it releases. Figure 11.2 in that last link is really illustrative of this effect.

As to your comment on the air blowing out the heat in a house with a blind on the floor, yes, you'd be right, in that scenario thermal storage would make a difference. But it is kind of an odd-duck scenario, because nobody has blinds on the floor.

I think we mostly agree on UHI's mechanics, but haven't established why we view it as a problem. If, for example, people being unable to sleep without using their ACs (which then in turn make the city even hotter) is one of the main problems, then thermal storage is indeed one of the main culprits of the UHI effect. If the main problem is that it's too hot in the morning, than thermal mass probably isn't to blame. However, if you meant what I think you meant about rural vs urban insulation, I stand by my claim that you have a wacky take on UHI...

I agree, a cellular shade left on the floor is kind of an odd duck scenario... Why'd you choose it?? :)

Regardless, I think we can apply the same mechanics without such a strange example. I, for example, have solar shades on my east windows. If I use them, the morning sun gets in my house but ultimately only directly heats up the shade and the window stool area. If I don't use them, it heats up my heavy oak floors all morning long and then when it's no longer shining on them, they continue to heat my house. And unfortunately I've closed the windows now because it's midday.

Anyways, I'm happy to spar until we're nitpicking to a seriously nerdy and overly contentious degree. Have we reached that point yet? Guess I'll keep going until it's glaringly obvious :)


Peeples

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #52 on: May 31, 2019, 03:16:10 AM »
things to help keep the house cool:

1. Keep the blinds finished to keep off direct daylight.

2. Mop the floors with virus water.

3. Put a major can of ice before a fan and let the air blow over it.

4. can also use any dehumidifier which is best suited some are there https://dehumidifierslist.com/

4. During the evening, open a window toward one side of the house, and another where you need to be coolest. Put a fan in the far window so it hauls the warm let some circulation into. In the first part of the day, or when it begins getting warm, close the windows to keep the sight-seeing out.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2019, 03:20:07 AM by Peeples »

Boofinator

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #53 on: May 31, 2019, 10:00:23 AM »
Anyways, I'm happy to spar until we're nitpicking to a seriously nerdy and overly contentious degree. Have we reached that point yet? Guess I'll keep going until it's glaringly obvious :)

Yep, we've reached that point, since I think we're fairly close to consensus, and to top it off we've veered a good way from the intent of this thread. (And for the record, urban areas are less insulative than rural. On reexamination that point didn't make much sense on my part.)

To jump on the actual topic, I open my windows at night and close them in the morning. Thermal shades work great, especially for windows where the sun shines through. Also, I don't turn on the air conditioning unless my house and outside temperatures are at least 84°F at bedtime; this is a little painful for the first few warm days each spring as my body acclimates, but after that it's extremely comfortable.

robartsd

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #54 on: May 31, 2019, 12:30:26 PM »
My climate usually has high diurnal temperature variation, so we try to capture as much cool air as possible at night. A high velocity exhaust fan (whole house fan) is great for this. I have a 20" Air King window fan set to exhaust air in one room and windows open in every corner of the house to allow cool night air to enter. Our house also has limited solar gain through windows and a brick exterior that provides thermal mass. For the rare night that doesn't cool off, we have a window AC unit to run in the bedroom we sleep in (which also has the worst summer afternoon exposure).

FINate

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #55 on: May 31, 2019, 01:52:49 PM »
We put R49 batts in the attic and then added Gila brand thermal window tint (from Home Depot) to most all of our windows. It made a huge improvement to do the tint. It's not super dark but reflects 73% of the heat and 99% of UV rays.  Made differece of 5-10* in most locations. Also put a light mesh "awning" over the porch and it was a 15* difference... I measured with my thermal laser tool from Harbor freight.

We also have thermal curtains to help cover windows and keep the cool/heat in depending on the weather. Also ceiling fans.

Yesterday it was 96*. A/C set to 76* inside... I only heard it kick on a couple of times to maintain the temp!!

Gila window film works really well. Installed it on a large kitchen window that was causing the room to become an oven in the afternoon. Not only was this terribly uncomfortable, but was also bad for food spoilage and made the fridge work too hard. After tinting some  heat gets through but way less than before. Install was tedious and a little tricky, but it's a very inexpensive solution.

MrSal

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #56 on: June 01, 2019, 10:56:38 AM »
Metal roofing makes a HUGE difference!

I don't have metal roof but my neighbour has it. His metal roof is black and my asphalt shingles are also black. Same sun orientation. Out of curiosity its 12:30 and checked with a IR thermometer the temperature of my roof and his.

It's sunny and 83F with a Real Feel of 91(and increasing) and my roof is at around 125-130F (facing west - just waint until the sun starts blasting at it more directly). My neigbour's roof on the other hand is at 85F! That's a HUGE difference! I never would have thought for the difference to be so great especially with the black color! That's a 40-45F difference!

lthenderson

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #57 on: June 03, 2019, 07:21:17 AM »
Metal roofing makes a HUGE difference!

I don't have metal roof but my neighbour has it. His metal roof is black and my asphalt shingles are also black. Same sun orientation. Out of curiosity its 12:30 and checked with a IR thermometer the temperature of my roof and his.

It's sunny and 83F with a Real Feel of 91(and increasing) and my roof is at around 125-130F (facing west - just waint until the sun starts blasting at it more directly). My neigbour's roof on the other hand is at 85F! That's a HUGE difference! I never would have thought for the difference to be so great especially with the black color! That's a 40-45F difference!

I hope you took the measurement of your neighbors roof while standing on it and from the same distance away. The maximum distance one can get an accurate measurement from an IR thermometer is 36 to 48 inches. Beyond that, those things aren't very accurate.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #58 on: June 03, 2019, 09:05:13 AM »
I have a whole house fan and rarely use it. It draws in pollen and other dust particles. It really only helps cool the house down when the temps outside are colder. When the temps outside are hot all you do is draw in more hot air.

We have a window ac in the bedroom and a fan that blows across the bed. The dog insists on it!

We have a ductless ac unit in the living room that cools the upper floor nicely. We have a giant awning on our deck. Custom made by an awning company. I love it and it helps keep the house cool by shading the deck. We have one paddle fan in the dining room.

Insulated drapes help keep the heat out by closing them as the sun shines on them.

Yes, we have several months of higher electric cost but I want to sleep at night and be cool on a 80-99 degree day. My house gets hot and stays hot. NOPE, not gonna be miserable. I crank my ac on as soon as it gets hot/humid.

Window units are so cheap to buy! $99-$199 depending on BTU. The ductless unit was much more expensive and required professional installation. But it is cooling a lot of square feet.


Duchess of Stratosphear

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #59 on: June 03, 2019, 09:30:54 AM »
Hey y'all,

robartsd: I just bought the Airking 20" whole house fan (got in on Venting Direct's memorial day sale). My problem is that I have casement windows, so I don't have a seal around it, but I can probably rig up something to make that work. Even so, it does pull in some cool air through the bedroom windows in the evenings. It's really loud in my little house, though.

I got a general phone estimate for a mini split system: 8-9k! Yeah, nope. It could be that I could downsize to fewer inside units to get it to be cheaper, but geeze. I was expecting 4-5k for my small house. Hence the $130 Airking. 

I have a metal roof, too! I hate to think how much worse it could be if those were asphalt shingles a few feet above my bedroom.

So far this year I can't complain. I've stayed fairly cool. But now it's June....



robartsd

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #60 on: June 03, 2019, 11:20:21 AM »
I have a whole house fan and rarely use it. It draws in pollen and other dust particles. It really only helps cool the house down when the temps outside are colder. When the temps outside are hot all you do is draw in more hot air.
@Syonyk used a auto air filter with a housing he made out of cardboard and duct tape to create a filtered air intake for his previous house.
https://syonyk.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-post-summer-review-of-my-vent-fans.html

Villanelle

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #61 on: June 03, 2019, 11:41:37 AM »


Cool showers at night, and going to bed with wet hair (especially for someone with thick, long hair) help tremendously.  As does a damp wash cloth put in the freezer or a frozen water bottle wrapped in fabric or a sock.

I sleep very hot (and with my sensory issues, sleeping without covers is not an option).  These things help a lot.  But we also have a portable a/c unit in the bedroom which we can use when it's extra hot or humid.  Cheaper to cool our one room than the whole house. 

Syonyk

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #62 on: June 03, 2019, 12:35:07 PM »
@Syonyk used a auto air filter with a housing he made out of cardboard and duct tape to create a filtered air intake for his previous house.
https://syonyk.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-post-summer-review-of-my-vent-fans.html

I'm still using the fans.  I don't bother with a filtered intake anymore - we moved, and have a screened window that will keep bugs out when we open it.

They're still quite the useful air movers!

MrSal

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #63 on: June 04, 2019, 05:21:16 PM »
Metal roofing makes a HUGE difference!

I don't have metal roof but my neighbour has it. His metal roof is black and my asphalt shingles are also black. Same sun orientation. Out of curiosity its 12:30 and checked with a IR thermometer the temperature of my roof and his.

It's sunny and 83F with a Real Feel of 91(and increasing) and my roof is at around 125-130F (facing west - just waint until the sun starts blasting at it more directly). My neigbour's roof on the other hand is at 85F! That's a HUGE difference! I never would have thought for the difference to be so great especially with the black color! That's a 40-45F difference!


I hope you took the measurement of your neighbors roof while standing on it and from the same distance away. The maximum distance one can get an accurate measurement from an IR thermometer is 36 to 48 inches. Beyond that, those things aren't very accurate.

Yes, at end of next day I even went to his attic. My attic inside was at 140 degrees while his attic was sitting at 95 or so

I also have the airking 20". Got it last year and I was torn between the 16 and 20 inch version... god, the 20" is a monster! It caught me off guard of how big it is. Anyhow, I mount it in a side window in my office, which is very inconspicuous and I don't care really. I have the fan on Sonoff wifi plugs and have some IFTT conditions in them. I turn them manually at night if temperature is below than inside, and I have auto conditions to turn them around 4-5am if temps are low. Around 5am is when temps are lowest so we want to intake as much air as possible of those cold temperatures in order to "reset" the house for the coming hot day. It helps if its going to be a really hot day.

Just this weekend on Saturday, it was 90s outside, the house finished the day at around 74F without using AC. We opened the windows at night to cool the house and it decreased to 72F or so. However at 5-6am, once the fan kicked in for 2 hours, it got the house to around 63F in the morning. At 4Pm during 90 degree weather, the house was still at a very cool 70F. Im sure if I didn't have or use the airking fan, the AC would have kicked in probably since there wasn't as much buffer.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2019, 05:36:02 PM by MrSal »

middo

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #64 on: June 04, 2019, 07:22:56 PM »
I don't know about how feasible this idea is, but grape vines grown over a pergola can be a great solution to this type of problem.  They provide shade in summer, and let light through in winter when they drop their leaves.  The also provide fruit, and as they are plants, evapotranspirate moisture into the local environment, changing the "feel" of the air.  This may be a solution that takes a couple of years, but vines grow fairly quickly.

They will require maintenance, but can also add significant beauty to a lot of houses.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #65 on: June 05, 2019, 03:21:00 AM »
I don't know about how feasible this idea is, but grape vines grown over a pergola can be a great solution to this type of problem.  They provide shade in summer, and let light through in winter when they drop their leaves.  The also provide fruit, and as they are plants, evapotranspirate moisture into the local environment, changing the "feel" of the air.  This may be a solution that takes a couple of years, but vines grow fairly quickly.

They will require maintenance, but can also add significant beauty to a lot of houses.

The only drawback of this solution is that the fruit draws bees and yellow jackets. Not to mention birds swooping down to get some fruit and probably other wild life like deer. Maybe some non fruit bearing ivy vines would work.

robartsd

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #66 on: June 05, 2019, 09:48:22 AM »
Metal roofing makes a HUGE difference!
Yes, at end of next day I even went to his attic. My attic inside was at 140 degrees while his attic was sitting at 95 or so

I also have the airking 20". ... I have the fan on Sonoff wifi plugs and have some IFTT conditions in them. I turn them manually at night if temperature is below than inside, and I have auto conditions to turn them around 4-5am if temps are low.
I'm guessing that the attic is also very well vented.

The only thing that disappoints me about the AirKing is that large gaps between the main housing and the side panels that adjust for width as well as the gap between the fan housing and the window. The window mine is mounted in does not have a insect screen, so I have made no attempts to automate yet - as I have to open and close the window manually when turning the fan on/off. I fear if I just put a screen in, a significant amount of the air will blowback through these gaps. I might try to find some rubber weatherstripping sweeps that can cover these gaps in the future.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #67 on: June 06, 2019, 03:08:24 PM »

Optimiser

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #68 on: June 07, 2019, 12:09:38 PM »
We just installed a whole house fan recently. We have only had a handful of hot days so far this year, but I have been very impressed. The main benefit is that by running it at night and in the early morning we start the day with a very cool house. By evening it starts feeling too warm right around the time that it makes sense to open the windows and turn the fan back on.

Like the poster above me we got a Quiet Cool as well. It is much quieter than the older style whole house fan my parents' used to have.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2019, 03:45:45 PM by Optimiser »

ender

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #69 on: June 09, 2019, 07:40:50 PM »
Wholehouse fans are excellent.


sillysassy

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #70 on: June 10, 2019, 12:24:06 AM »
do u guys keep lots of potted plants?

i keep a few big leafy potted plants and i find them cooling down the home remarkably. i can honestly feel the slightly cooler air around the plants.

Optimiser

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #71 on: June 10, 2019, 03:46:57 PM »
do u guys keep lots of potted plants?

i keep a few big leafy potted plants and i find them cooling down the home remarkably. i can honestly feel the slightly cooler air around the plants.

I could see how a big pot of soil could help by adding thermal mass to your house, but how does a plant cool the air?

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #72 on: June 10, 2019, 04:18:52 PM »
First of all, look at how you can avoid adding heat to your house. Some ideas:

1) Hook up a gas grill to your natural gas supply and cook outside as much as possible.
2) Line dry clothing.
3) Shorten the long steamy showers and try to use cooler water.
4) Of course you don’t use incandescent/halogen bulbs for ANYTHING, right?

Second, if your attic is under-ventilated like most attics (very safe to assume it is), a quick weekend project to add a turbine and some soffit vents could drop it 10 degrees F in the summer, which will make a huge difference for less than $100 in materials. 140 degrees F in the attic on a 100 degree day is too hot. Aim for 120 F.

Third, there is no justification for wearing jeans, hats, leather shoes/boots, or long sleeves around the house and then turning on the AC because you’re hot. Hell, I usually skip the socks and just wear sandals June-July.

Fourth, if you have AC, at least maintain it. Change the filter regularly and clean the coils inside and out each summer. Also clean the coils on your fridge so it can get air flow and run efficiently.

robartsd

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #73 on: June 11, 2019, 12:28:39 PM »
I could see how a big pot of soil could help by adding thermal mass to your house, but how does a plant cool the air?
Trans-evaporation - basically the same way a swamp cooler does but on a smaller/slower scale. More useful in dry climates than in humid ones.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #74 on: June 11, 2019, 12:52:03 PM »
I could see how a big pot of soil could help by adding thermal mass to your house, but how does a plant cool the air?
Trans-evaporation - basically the same way a swamp cooler does but on a smaller/slower scale. More useful in dry climates than in humid ones.

I was gonna say . . . jungles have some of the highest ratio of vegetation to other stuff in the world, and they're not typically known for being cold.  :P

GoBotany

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #75 on: June 16, 2019, 04:54:57 AM »
Don't forget that plants convert solar energy into a storage form (glucose). I'm currently going through the same decision process as OP and leaning toward a trellis and vines (my window is not as high).

CoverMajere

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #76 on: June 20, 2019, 07:10:56 AM »
At my home I've only did the plinths.Everything else was done by qualified masters

Car Jack

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #77 on: June 20, 2019, 07:57:46 AM »
Our house was built with a large overhang on the south side over windows.  It reduces sun penetration into the house in the summer when the sun is high in the sky but allows it in the winter when it's lower in the sky.

When we visit the Caribbean, we've noticed that most houses have louvers outside of the windows.  This is the most efficient place for them as opposed to interior treatments as it prevents sunlight from coming into the house in the first place.  Of course, most of those houses don't have windows closed up.  They're either open or have screens. 

MrSal

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #78 on: June 20, 2019, 03:43:42 PM »
Our house was built with a large overhang on the south side over windows.  It reduces sun penetration into the house in the summer when the sun is high in the sky but allows it in the winter when it's lower in the sky.

When we visit the Caribbean, we've noticed that most houses have louvers outside of the windows.  This is the most efficient place for them as opposed to interior treatments as it prevents sunlight from coming into the house in the first place.  Of course, most of those houses don't have windows closed up.  They're either open or have screens.

This. I never understood the concept of fake shutters in the US houses. It adds nothing. South of Spain and south of Portugal where temperatures get quite hot 100-110F easily, not only houses are painted white to reflect heat gain but also window shutters that close. Make a big difference to the point you can even keep the window open and just have the shutters closed and yet is still comfortable inside.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #79 on: June 20, 2019, 09:53:47 PM »
I have a bonus room over the uninsulated garage which both face west.  The bonus room was getting very hot.

I ended up taping up vertical strips of aluminum foil - overlapping them by an inch or so - over the bonus room window and was shocked at how much it reduced the heat gain.  I think my A/C bill will be cut in half.

Not the most stylish-looking, but it's behind curtains, so it's not visible at the moment.  Also very very very cheap to try.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #80 on: June 21, 2019, 08:08:22 AM »
My top floor has a sliding glass door out to a roof deck on one side and a big window on the west side.  It gets really hot up there.

1.  Thermal curtains on sliding glass door.  Keep shut when sun is shining in.
2.  West window:  blackout cellular shade + Solar shade (one blocks all light and the other lets some through when I want it)
3.  Retractable awning over the roof deck -- keeps deck cooler and also doesn't let the light/heat get to that side of the house & the glass door.  Awning has a wind sensor and retracts automatically in wind.
4.  Solar panels on roof -- mine didn't cost me a penny.  I don't know your location, but please check to see if any of these free offers exist in your area.  In addition to the energy production value, they also provide shade for my roof, which is a huge benefit for cooling. 

My neighbors added trellis + potted vines that grow in the spring/summer up against the wall surrounding the glass door -- makes a huge difference just to shade that sliver of wall.  I'm going to add this to my list for next year. 

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #81 on: June 29, 2019, 10:57:51 PM »
I ended up taping up vertical strips of aluminum foil - overlapping them by an inch or so - over the bonus room window and was shocked at how much it reduced the heat gain.  I think my A/C bill will be cut in half.

It's probably OK with just aluminum foil, but make sure you don't get the vinyl window frames too hot - they can warp if you make a greenhouse.  I insulated some windows on my office shed and rather cooked a frame that way - I had to put a shutter outside to block the sun.

4.  Solar panels on roof -- mine didn't cost me a penny.  I don't know your location, but please check to see if any of these free offers exist in your area.  In addition to the energy production value, they also provide shade for my roof, which is a huge benefit for cooling. 

Most of the "free" panel deals I've seen are a crap deal for the homeowner, make the house ~impossible to sell, and you're paying regardless of what the panels do.  They're a marginal deal compared to full on expensive solar installers with their tricksy financing packages, but a crap deal compared to what you can actually do in most areas.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #82 on: July 01, 2019, 09:11:27 AM »
Most of the "free" panel deals I've seen are a crap deal for the homeowner, make the house ~impossible to sell, and you're paying regardless of what the panels do.  They're a marginal deal compared to full on expensive solar installers with their tricksy financing packages, but a crap deal compared to what you can actually do in most areas.
This is true, many "free" deals might actually mean leasing or can be bad deals in other ways.  But in Washington DC, the solar credits are so rewarding that they entice solar vendors to trade free materials + labor in exchange for the potential to make more back by selling Solar Renewable Energy Credits.  That's why I suggested checking the incentives in the local area.  For me, I could probably make more by keeping the SRECs and selling them on the open market over the next 6-9 years, but this way, my risk was zero and by month 4, my ROI was already over 100%.  I own the panels and can remove them whenever I want to.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #83 on: July 01, 2019, 12:27:57 PM »
When we replace our roof, we'll be using plywood with a radiant barrier.  In the meantime, DH went into the attic and installed barrier to the existing interior.  Not sure how much difference this will make but we'll take it.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #84 on: July 03, 2019, 01:00:19 PM »
We put R49 batts in the attic and then added Gila brand thermal window tint (from Home Depot) to most all of our windows. It made a huge improvement to do the tint. It's not super dark but reflects 73% of the heat and 99% of UV rays.  Made differece of 5-10* in most locations. Also put a light mesh "awning" over the porch and it was a 15* difference... I measured with my thermal laser tool from Harbor freight.

We also have thermal curtains to help cover windows and keep the cool/heat in depending on the weather. Also ceiling fans.

Yesterday it was 96*. A/C set to 76* inside... I only heard it kick on a couple of times to maintain the temp!!

Gila window film works really well. Installed it on a large kitchen window that was causing the room to become an oven in the afternoon. Not only was this terribly uncomfortable, but was also bad for food spoilage and made the fridge work too hard. After tinting some  heat gets through but way less than before. Install was tedious and a little tricky, but it's a very inexpensive solution.

Good to hear that about the window film, I just bought some! I've got one room which is becoming an oven in the afternoons, and then it's heating up the rest of the floor too. Hoping that the film will interrupt the process. If it works, I'll consider other rooms which might benefit.

FINate

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #85 on: July 03, 2019, 02:55:17 PM »
Good to hear that about the window film, I just bought some! I've got one room which is becoming an oven in the afternoons, and then it's heating up the rest of the floor too. Hoping that the film will interrupt the process. If it works, I'll consider other rooms which might benefit.

Make sure the windows are super clean, and have enough extra around the edges that your fingerprints are on the parts that get trimmed off. Use lots of spray on the film and the window, which gives you time to work/move the film as needed, and be careful to squeegee all the air pockets out. At first it will look a little off with little blisters of water bubbles in the film that give it a funny texture...don't worry about it, within about a week these water blisters will dry out and the film will cure.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #86 on: July 03, 2019, 03:09:39 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up. 

GuitarStv

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #87 on: July 03, 2019, 05:35:51 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Get a few high power portable fans.  Position them next to your windows,  Open the windows before you go to bed and blast as much hot air out/cool air in.  Close 'em up and do it again in the morning.  That's about the best you can do.

Villanelle

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #88 on: July 03, 2019, 06:49:15 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Get a few high power portable fans.  Position them next to your windows,  Open the windows before you go to bed and blast as much hot air out/cool air in.  Close 'em up and do it again in the morning.  That's about the best you can do.

I can't leave the windows open overnight due to the rain.  That's the problem. 

Roadrunner53

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #89 on: July 04, 2019, 08:13:19 AM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Buy a window ac unit, put it in your window, set it and forget it. Nice cool room!

GuitarStv

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #90 on: July 04, 2019, 08:15:52 AM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Get a few high power portable fans.  Position them next to your windows,  Open the windows before you go to bed and blast as much hot air out/cool air in.  Close 'em up and do it again in the morning.  That's about the best you can do.

I can't leave the windows open overnight due to the rain.  That's the problem.

Yes, that's where the fans come in.  You open the windows and turn the fans on while you're awake in the evening.  Close them before bed.  Open them and turn the fans on in the morning.  Close them before you leave for work.

It's not as good as leaving the windows open overnight, but you can clear out most of the warm air from your home and pump in a lot of cool stuff.

ChpBstrd

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #91 on: July 04, 2019, 11:42:56 AM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

This is correct. Leaving windows open will cause your stuff to grow mold in places with high humidity (hello from Arkansas). Opening a window to cool off might work great in Colorado or Southern California, but it will cause problems in 80% humidity.

On the flip side, take steps to reduce the amount of humidity in your house. This mainly means shorter cooler showers with the exhaust fan on. I’ve also considered running a hose to drain my refrigerator condensation outside the house.

Boofinator

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #92 on: July 08, 2019, 03:14:31 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Does your house come with sufficient eaves? My experience is that the rainier parts of the U.S. have low correlation with the windier parts of the U.S., so eaves are generally sufficient to allow for open windows at night without the threat of water intrusion. (Partial source: Growing up in Miami without AC, in which open windows were a necessity.)

dougules

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #93 on: July 08, 2019, 03:37:26 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Does your house come with sufficient eaves? My experience is that the rainier parts of the U.S. have low correlation with the windier parts of the U.S., so eaves are generally sufficient to allow for open windows at night without the threat of water intrusion. (Partial source: Growing up in Miami without AC, in which open windows were a necessity.)

???  Doesn't Miami get heavy wind and rain at the same time?  Eaves are good for just gentle rain, but wind and rain together are definitely a thing here.   It's not uncommon to have downpours paired with 40 mph wind here.  They also can come up quite unexpectedly.  Having your window open even just a small crack would result in the whole room being wet. 

You could watch the weather forecast because there are plenty of nights where the forecast is for no storms.  I should ask my grandmother what they did to keep rain from coming in when they had the windows open. 


I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Get a few high power portable fans.  Position them next to your windows,  Open the windows before you go to bed and blast as much hot air out/cool air in.  Close 'em up and do it again in the morning.  That's about the best you can do.

I can't leave the windows open overnight due to the rain.  That's the problem.

Yes, that's where the fans come in.  You open the windows and turn the fans on while you're awake in the evening.  Close them before bed.  Open them and turn the fans on in the morning.  Close them before you leave for work.

It's not as good as leaving the windows open overnight, but you can clear out most of the warm air from your home and pump in a lot of cool stuff.

Cool stuff?  Bless your little Canadian heart. 

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #94 on: July 08, 2019, 03:47:32 PM »
???  Doesn't Miami get heavy wind and rain at the same time?  Eaves are good for just gentle rain, but wind and rain together are definitely a thing here.   It's not uncommon to have downpours paired with 40 mph wind here.  They also can come up quite unexpectedly.  Having your window open even just a small crack would result in the whole room being wet. 
Certainly in a hurricane, but does heavy rain and wind come unexpectedly (no storm warning)?

chaskavitch

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #95 on: July 08, 2019, 04:32:19 PM »
Those of you with the ductless mini-splits, do you like them, especially compared to a central AC system?  Did you have them installed yourself, and were they expensive?

We're moving to a new house with no central AC.  It has baseboard heat, so there's no existing ductwork to add an AC unit to, either.  Almost all of the rooms have ceiling fans, but there are also large windows on the east, south, and west side of the house.  There are SOME trees on the south and west side, but we're looking at options if August is ridiculously hot.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #96 on: July 08, 2019, 04:55:30 PM »
Those of you with the ductless mini-splits, do you like them, especially compared to a central AC system?  Did you have them installed yourself, and were they expensive?

We're moving to a new house with no central AC.  It has baseboard heat, so there's no existing ductwork to add an AC unit to, either.  Almost all of the rooms have ceiling fans, but there are also large windows on the east, south, and west side of the house.  There are SOME trees on the south and west side, but we're looking at options if August is ridiculously hot.

For probably 25 years we had an in wall ac unit to cool our upper floor. It was around 24,000 BTU. We got a ductless unit to replace it and it is 24,000 BTU as well. It is very quit compared to the wall unit we had. The original wall unit was a work horse and never failed in all those years. The new unit crapped out during the second year. It was under warranty for parts but we had to pay for service. It was fixed and is wonderful. It cools the bulk of our first floor. We have a window unit in our bedroom window. I love the ductless unit. Don't let them talk you into less BTU's. We had the 24,000 BTU unit and it was an ass kicker. The ac company tried to talk us into an 18,000 BTU unit and we said no way! I don't want a unit that will limp during cooling season, I want it to do the job and do it well.

Boofinator

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #97 on: July 08, 2019, 08:33:36 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Does your house come with sufficient eaves? My experience is that the rainier parts of the U.S. have low correlation with the windier parts of the U.S., so eaves are generally sufficient to allow for open windows at night without the threat of water intrusion. (Partial source: Growing up in Miami without AC, in which open windows were a necessity.)

???  Doesn't Miami get heavy wind and rain at the same time?  Eaves are good for just gentle rain, but wind and rain together are definitely a thing here.   It's not uncommon to have downpours paired with 40 mph wind here.  They also can come up quite unexpectedly.  Having your window open even just a small crack would result in the whole room being wet. 

You could watch the weather forecast because there are plenty of nights where the forecast is for no storms.  I should ask my grandmother what they did to keep rain from coming in when they had the windows open.   

From my recollection living in Florida for my first 25 years, the heavy downpours tended to happen almost exclusively in the late afternoons or early evenings. (I could have set my watch to the onset of rain during Gainesville summers.) That is my anecdote, and admittedly it is outdated by a dozen or so years. The climate maps for wind would seem to back up my anecdote when it comes to average wind speed in the southeast: https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/30m_US_Wind.jpg.

I think one of the major downsides to AC has been the huge reduction in windows for modern construction. Our house in Miami was from the 1950's, and had large windows in every room, plus the 'Florida room' which had functional opening windows all the way around.

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #98 on: July 09, 2019, 11:24:26 AM »
???  Doesn't Miami get heavy wind and rain at the same time?  Eaves are good for just gentle rain, but wind and rain together are definitely a thing here.   It's not uncommon to have downpours paired with 40 mph wind here.  They also can come up quite unexpectedly.  Having your window open even just a small crack would result in the whole room being wet. 
Certainly in a hurricane, but does heavy rain and wind come unexpectedly (no storm warning)?

Yes it does quite a bit.  There is generally a certain amount of warning you would get if you were awake, but at night when you're asleep it could easily catch you off guard.  Usually the weather forecast can tell you the chances, but when the forecast is 20% it can be really hit and miss.  They're generally more common in the afternoon, but there are plenty at night.  We've been having a lot of them here lately.  Just last week we had a random storm come through with a lot of wind and rain at 1:30 in the morning. 

Villanelle

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Re: What did you do to keep your house cool?
« Reply #99 on: July 09, 2019, 01:54:52 PM »
I'm new to a humid, rainy climate.  How on earth does one do it?  I can't leave the windows open at night--not even cracked, because storms pop up suddenly and everything gets drenched.  (Ask me how I know.)  But I'm losing all that cooler night air with my windows shut tight. Am I missing something?  (And yes, we do have frequent, fairly sudden rain storms.  I can open a few windows when we are home and awake because I can shut them quickly and mop up any water on the wood floors that may sneak in before it has time to sit. But once we go to bed, it seems I have to close everything up.

Does your house come with sufficient eaves? My experience is that the rainier parts of the U.S. have low correlation with the windier parts of the U.S., so eaves are generally sufficient to allow for open windows at night without the threat of water intrusion. (Partial source: Growing up in Miami without AC, in which open windows were a necessity.)

No.  We have basically no eaves.  Water definitely comes in when it rains.  We learned that very quickly our second night in the home. 

As it turns out, water also comes in to the basement--6"!!!!--when it rains a lot.