Living in South Africa, we all know about the heat in summer. In South Africa, we have scorching areas where temperatures between 35 and 45 Deg are expected during the day. However, after dark, the temperature drops, and it is fresh out but hot indoors. Let us look at a few affordable ways to cool your home in summer.
When we go to sleep at night, it feels as though we are in a heated room. So how do we reduce the temperature in the house to be more comfortable without using an air conditioner? Running an aircon is expensive with the cost of energy today. The idea of insulating our homes with thermal insulation is to reduce the need for heating and cooling.
Affordable Ways to Cool Your Home In Summer
We will look at the most affordable ways to cool your home in the summer. As much as 35% of all heat in the home is via the roof space into the house. The heat in the roof space on a hot day can reach up to 60 degrees in summer. For this reason, we must stop the warm air from entering the house.
As much as 35% of the suns rays enter the home, resulting in a hotter house in summer.
35% Of All Heat Entering The Home is Via The Windows
We need windows in the home, right. So let us look at a few ways to reduce the suns rays from heating our house.
Firstly we need to consider ways to block the heat. Secondly, we need to execute this plan. We live in South Africa, so open windows all day is not an option for many homeowners.
Blockout Curtains
Without a doubt, Blockout Curtains are a great start, and they don’t cost an arm and a leg. However, it is essential to find heavy blockout curtains that will make your room almost dark at night and during the day. The guys at Volpes Curtains have an excellent range of curtains that will achieve this goal. On a scale of 1 to 10 block out curtains are a solid 7 of the affordable ways to cool your home in summer
The blockout curtains will reduce heat flow into the room and create an insulation barrier between the window and the curtains, forcing the bulk of the heat to be lost via the window. However, if you live in an area where windows can be left open, it would be advantageous to leave them slightly open. As heat will always follow the easiest escape route, if the windows are slightly open, the heat trapped between the window and the curtains will easily flow out into the open space.
Solar Film
There are many solar film options; however, it is essential to use a reputable company when installing solar film. The solar film will block the suns rays by as much as 90%. Most importantly, the solar film is not overly expensive. The guys at Solucent solar films have a vast range of solar film products to help in summer and winter. Without a doubt, block out curtains and solar film is some of the more accessible and affordable ways to cool your home in summer at a low cost.
35% Of All Heat Entering The Home is Via The Ceiling
Importantly we must remember the sun will heat the roof space all day. In summer, the roof space heats up with the suns rays. We have measured temperatures as high as 60 degrees on the ceiling in some homes. Now one must consider this is almost like underfloor heating in summer. Let us look at a few ways to block the radiated heat from the ceiling or find a way to stop the effects of this heat.
Roof Ventilation
Without a doubt, proper Roof Ventilation is one of the most affordable ways to stop hot air from being trapped in the roof space. The Roof ventilators are fitted on the roof just below the pitch. As the heat builds up in the roof space, the pressure gets the ventilators extracting the heat.
Houses fitted with WhirlyBird roof ventilators have a far more relaxed roof space. For this reason, the heat buildup is reduced, and the roof space stays cool. Also, in summer, moisture and condensation are reduced substantially in the house.
Notably, ceiling mould is also reduced significantly. We do install WhirlyBird roof ventilators, and the cost of these units is under R2000. For more information, check out our roof ventilators price list.
Roof Insulation
The best option that will block the heat flow into the home, as much as 90% installing products like Aerolite Insulation, Knauf Ecose Insulation, or Isotherm, is the best choice. However, roof insulation is a bit more expensive. Apart from this, additional benefits are enormous. They are recovering the cost of insulation in two to three years on energy saving alone.
Ceiling insulation is the most significant single product that will improve indoor temperature by 4 – 8 degrees. Besides, Roofing insulation is the best of the affordable ways to cool your home in summer. Roof insulation may cost as much as R10000 for an average house. By recovering the cost of insulation in two to three years on energy saving in the home. Check roof insulation prices.
Ceiling Fans
Installing a ceiling fan is one of the affordable ways to cool your home in the summer. Most ceiling fans have lighting fitted out of the box. Ceiling fans are simple to do. Just remove the old bedroom light. Install the new ceiling fan. Importantly ensure the wiring is secure and the fan is tight.
All ceiling fans have between 3 and 7 settings. Additionally, summer and winter setting is available on the fans. Summer settings blow the wind down, whereas winter settings suck the air upwards and then down. The benefit of these fans is that they move the air in the room, allowing a more comfortable environment. The cost of ceiling fans can vary from R800 to R8000. Check out these guys Solent Ceiling Fans for pricing on ceiling fans.
Switch Off Lights
Switch off as many lights as possible. In particular, if you have the old 40-watt lights replace them with the new cool 4 watt LEDs. The added benefit is that these lights are far more energy-efficient, and they are more relaxed. However, if you are lucky enough to have Solar Energy there is no need. Solar energy creates free electricity from the sun.
Switch Off The TV in the Bedroom
One of the most affordable ways to cool your home in summer is by switching off the TV. Did you know the TV is almost like having a heater in the bedroom? Many of us seem to retire to the bedroom early and watch our favourite programmes before bed. The TV creates heat in the room, but the radiant heat from the screen causes the biggest problem.
Free Ways To Cool Your Home
Free is always good, so let’s look at a few free ways to cool your home. Firstly having trees in the garden will create shade if the Trees have been planted in the correct areas, which will reduce heat gain in the home. For this reason, we need to plant our trees in the correct areas if we want to harness the shade.