Home design

As with heating, cooling requirements can be drastically reduced through careful building design. In addition to high levels of insulation and compact design, consider measures to reflect or block the sunlight. Reflective roofs can reduce air conditioning costs, while maintaining your cooler roof – albeit, with a high ceiling or roof insulation, the benefit is not as great as in a poorly insulated building. Window glazing can have a huge impact on cooling loads, some crystals are specially designed to block most solar heat gain (see previous discussion on the selection of windows). These crystals have a lot of sense in warm climates, even in moderate and cooler climates, should be considered for large areas of eastor westfacing windows and skylights or roof windows, where solar heat gain unwanted often contributes most to the burden Air conditioning.

Think also about how to prevent the sun reaches its windows. Simple overhangs, awnings, blinds or external louvres are fairly easy ways to reduce summer heat gain through windows. The projections work best on south-facing windows, the summer sun will be blocked, while the winter sun can still lower the windows. To eastand westfacing windows, plantings are often more effective for shade, because they are low enough to earth to block the morning sun low in the east and the afternoon sun in the west. Protect trees on site that will provide natural shade, or planting new trees, shrubs, annuals, and vines that are appropriate