Passive Cooling. What’s it mean? Well, we think it is merely the best, cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to keep the summer
heat at bay! With the official start of summer here, what better time to consider it. (Yes, it’s been unofficially summer for quite some time!)
Read on to find out about five features on how to cool your home from energy-efficient passive cooling to year-round air-conditioning!
USE THE WIND! PASSIVE COOLING FOR YOUR MODULAR HOME
Ok – the first feature we recommend that you consider in your home is to incorporate passive cooling elements into the design. Passive cooling, especially in warmer climates, is critical to ensuring your home is comfortable and easy to cool!
The principle of passive cooling is designing your new home to take advantage of natural ventilation and the path of the sun to minimise the use of MECHANICAL cooling aids. So, not only will your new modular home feel
more comfortable, but it will use less energy! You get to save the planet AND
stay cool!
The two most critical components of passive cooling are orientation and ventilation.
SITE ORIENTATION
Firstly, with the orientation of your home, we need to consider the path of the sun and the prevailing winds along with the type of climate at your site. The aim here is to minimise the effect of the heat generated by the sun in the hottest parts of the day.
NATURAL VENTILATION
Next, we look at ventilation and consider how to capture the prevailing breezes and consider the design to ensure there are enough openable windows and doors to allow the breezes to flow freely through your home. The aim is to remove as many “dead” pockets from your home as possible.
VERANDAHS. ENTERTAINERS PLUS COOLERS!
Adding a verandah to your home is another excellent way to keep
your house fresh and give your passive cooling a boost along the way! By carefully considering the size and location of your verandah, as well as using energy-efficient insulated panel roofing, your deck and home will be simple and easy to cool!
Check out this post of verandah features to get some more inspiration!
TREATED WINDOWS - GETTING THE VIEWS, NOT THE HEAT!
Next, let's look at another booster for your passive cooling
– your windows. Because let’s face it, it’s not always possible to get away
from placing windows on the hottest wall of your home! For instance, if your
view is to the south-west, you’d be crazy not to get a whole lot of windows on that side to take advantage of that lovely view.
So, you want lots of windows on the hot side of the house. Treating your windows with a reflective Low-e glass treatment such as Viridian ComfortPlus glass is a cost-effective and efficient way of ensuring your home doesn’t become a hot box. And, if you want to go the whole hog, we’d recommend you consider double glazing or thermally broken windows.
CEILING FANS - KEEPING THE AIR MOVING!
Now we’ve looked at three passive cooling features; we’ll jump over to consider mechanical ventilation and cooling options. And, the most effective and affordable automated cooling option for your new home is the old ceiling fan! By placing a fan in each room, you can use them to eliminate dead air and keep your house comfortable in the hottest heatwave – you need to add an icy drink to your hand to be all set for summer!
AIRCONDITIONING - KEEP YOUR HOME COOL NO MATTER WHAT!
Now for your air-conditioning. We’ve left this for last because we recommend you implement the first four features to get the best out of your air-conditioning! A well designed, passively cooled home will mean you can get more out of the air conditioner. And this, in turn, means you’ll be using less energy. Which means you’ll have a lot lower power bill to deal with at the end of the quarter.
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR PASSIVELY COOLED HOME.
So, let's get this sorted! We do not expect you to have to design your home to be cooled passively – that’s what our design team are here to do. Our designer is a fully qualified building designer with loads of experience in designing energy-efficient homes. Along with Green Smart certification, sun path diagrams and your knowledge of the site, we’ll be able to create the perfect home for you. Yes, one that you can enjoy all year round!
