Keeping your home cool over summer
December 17, 2007
Find out how to keep your home cool without installing expensive and greenhouse intensive air-conditioning.
Following the recent hot days, MEFL has received many phone calls from residents enquiring about air-conditioning and how to keep their homes cool.
Melbourne in general has seen a steady increase in air-conditioning installation in recent years which is of concern. Air-conditioning uses large amounts of energy which produces greenhouse gas emissions and places considerable demand on the electricity grid. In 2008 Victorians will experience a 17% increase in electricity costs. The only way to avoid paying more on your bills is to reduce your energy demands in the home or office.
The popularity of air-conditioning in houses is infact a relatively new phenomena and there are more cost effective and environmentally friendly ways to stay cool.
Perhaps the most effective measure is to make sure your house has adequate insulation. For information about the rebates currently available for ceiling insulation visit:
www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/2420-insulation-rebate.asp?intSiteID=4
Other things to do include:
Get ready before it gets too hot:
1. Seal up any gaps and cracks with weather stripping products. Up to 15% of your home's heat will come from gaps.
2. Shade your windows. Heat is transferred as soon as the sun touches the glass. External window protection is the most effective way to prevent heat gain. This can be as simple as stringing some bamboo curtains or shade cloth over windows.
3. Insulate your home. Up to 60% of heat entering your home comes through ceilings and walls. Ensure you have both bulk and reflective insulation in your ceiling.
And once summer really hits
5. Dress for the weather and keep yourself cool first.
6. Close windows and doors in the morning. This will keep your house and you cooler longer.
7. Once the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature, open up your home and let the cool air purge your house of its accumulated heat.
8. Switch off your halogen lights, or replace them with compact fluorescent downlights. Halogen lights are better as heaters than as lights. In summer time the heat they produce will affect your rooms. Try using lamps with compact fluorescent globes which use a fraction of the energy to a halogen and do not produce heat.
9. Avoid using heat producing appliances during the hot parts of the day. Stoves and ovens are particularly good at heating up you and your rooms. Cook when it is cooler, or enjoy cold meals!
10. Use ceiling or portable fans first. They are significantly cheaper to run (1c/hr or less!) and are very effective in moving hot air on so that it can be replaced with cooler air.
11. If you must use an air conditioner avoid using it all day, switch it on for a few hours if and only when it is necessary. Evaporative coolers are also a more economical choice over refrigerative airconditioning.
12. Set your thermostat between 24 and 26 degrees. Each degree below 24 will added 10% to your cooling bill. If you have to wear socks and jumpers to be comfortable it is time to turn your thermostat down.
For more information about keeping your home cool and/ or choosing a cooling system visit:
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/Choosing_a_cooling_system.pdf
For further free advice contact the Moreland Energy Foundation on 9381 1722.
