Who needs Air Conditioning?
This is the time of year that everyone races from one air conditioned place to another …. yet, I’ve noticed that some places seem to remain surprisingly comfortable without the help of air conditioners …. well, most of the time, anyway!
Like my place. Simple stick frame, tiny place. 2×4 frame, with fiberglass batts. When I moved in (September 2001), the place was an oven- especially in the evenings. Yet, almost by accident, I have managed to make this place quite decent. Here are the things I’ve done so far:
I noticed that there was NO venting of the attic. Apparently it was lost during one of the re-roofing jobs. I added a turbine vent … and had an almost 10 degree instant drop in the indoor temperature. Propping the attic hatch open made sure there was good airflow.
Building on success, I added ceiling vents to each room. Using the frame of a recessed light, in winter I simply push the ‘shower trim’ up to close off the vent. In summer, the 3″ gap from the hanging trim lets hot air exit the rooms.
I made some screened “window boxes” for my cats. This had the unexpected result of dramatically reducing the heat gain through the window glass. I guess the screen provides some ‘shade.’
I got tired of having bare dirt for a yard; so, I planted grass. Guess what? No longer does the yard act like a ‘heat mirror,’ reflecting heat into my home.
The house had cement siding, which had never been painted. Painting it white made a big difference in heat gain as well.
My point is that architectural details can make a big difference in how difficult it is to remain comfortable in your home.
Perhaps you have some ideas to share?
Replies
We couldn't survive without our whole house fan and ceiling fans.
John
The old world methods still work very well. As much as possible, shade the walls and windows on the east, south and west sides of the structure.
In addition install a thermostatically controlled attic vent fan with appropriately sized inlet areas, either gable end vents or soffit vents. Add insulation in the attic to conform with modern standards.
Install double glazed replacement windows.
Use natural convection during evening hours, to reduce the temperature of the home's entire thermal mass. This may require installing security screen doors to get the best air flow during late night hours.
Depending on the climate, a whole house fan, ducted out a gable end, may be effective enough to avoid AC. In any case, I'd suggest trying efficient modern window AC units before investing in anything more permanent or expensive.
I've found that, even without the whole house fan, these few changes make it possible to maintain a very comfortable interior temperature, without AC, at times when the outside temps reach the mid-nineties.
Edited 8/12/2007 10:33 pm ET by Hudson Valley Carpenter
We have some pretty good windows on our house. I've founf that if we close our house up tight in the mornings, it takes all day to finally heat up to higher than 80 degrees... by that time, it's starting to cool off outside and everything can be opened up again.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Oh, good Lord, no. But I can give him two dollars and an assault rifle.
You are right - reduced attic temperatures are more important to indoor comfort than most people realize. I suppose more insulation above the ceiling might also do the trick, but adding good ventilation can make a huge difference in the heat load an A/C system has to deal with.