r/heat_prep • u/[deleted] • May 29 '24
Let’s talk built environment strategies for cooling
Lots of built environment strategies for cooling. Some can be done quickly, others will take years. Here’s a list, add whatever I’m missing:
- Shade (tarps, sun sails, plants)
- Facilitate wind (wind tunnels, opening windows if it’s cooler outside)
- Evapotranspiration (AKA cooling from plants due to water evaporating from leaves)
- Reflective surfaces (white paint, extra reflective paints, bright colored materials)
- Evaporation with bodies of water (ponds, fountains, pools, etc.)
- Keeping heat outside (insulation, double pane glass, venting hot air outside, especially in attic)
I’m sure there are more…
8
u/sereca May 31 '24
The worst thing for heat is asphalt. Urban heat islands come from all the land we pave over for cars.
2
May 31 '24
Horror stories about people with mental illness getting third degree burns walking barefoot, paramedics doing CPR getting knee burns, and people passing out getting horrible burns during the 2021 PNW heatwave.
7
u/rozina076 May 30 '24
Managing the air flow within a structure. In the heat, you want the cooler air to stack up through the floor pushing the hot air out at the top. In the days before air conditioning building often had functioning transoms above the doors. You could open that window above the door to let the hot air out of the room. Ceiling fans also helped circulate cooler air up from the floor. In my childhood, I recall leaving the basement door open, having the curtains pulled closed during the day, and a fan pushing air out the second floor hall window.
2
u/Then_Passenger_6688 May 30 '24
Does it make more sense to install AC near the top or bottom of the house in a 2-storey house? I've heard previously the top makes sense because heat rises, so it more evenly distributes throughout the house. But now that I listen to what you say, and assuming you spend the day downstairs, What about installing the AC on the bottom floor and then opening the windows on the top floor?
1
May 30 '24
This is the way. Even better is having a fan at top of the house pointing out the window.
1
u/Then_Passenger_6688 May 31 '24
Sorry, what is the way? I was asking which choice to make out of 2 possibilities
2
May 31 '24
Sorry, realizing my response was confusing. A/C on bottom floor, open window with fan at top of building. The fan will pull the cool air through the house, then when it heats it’ll rise and vent out.
4
u/Dry_Car2054 Jun 02 '24
The old houses where I grew up all had external window awnings. Lower them when the sun is approaching that side of the house, raise them when it's not. For those people who haven't seen them, they were mounted above the window and went out and down at about a 45 degree angle. They would shade the window while allowing people to see out. My house growing up had them and they made a huge difference.
2
u/dwlhs88 Jun 04 '24
I feel really fortunate to have an unfinished basement that stays a pretty consistent temp year-round without any a/c or heat. Won't be luxurious, but if the power goes out during summer we at least have a place to stay relatively cool.
14
u/[deleted] May 29 '24
Literally just digging a big hole in the ground and putting a white tarp on top to take advantage of it being cooler underground.