cooling for new homes

If building a new home, or remodeling, do not forget natural cooling. In many climates (natural) cooling should be a primary design consideration.

Air conditioning

Air conditioning is expensive to run and has a negative environmental impact. If building a new home or remodeling your existing one, think in terms of passive/natural cooling, instead of air conditioning.

Natural cooling is appropriate for most climates and uses: 1) building design features, 2) shading and 3) the most basic natural source of cooling: air movement…

Climates and air conditioning

A good home design and super-insulation will dispense with air conditioning in cold and mild climates.

Even in many hot climates, mechanical air conditioning can be replaced advantageously by other strategies, involving natural ventilation, a well-shaded house, reflective roofs, deep overhangs, fans, and other devices or strategies…

These elements, combined with evaporative coolers (in hot dry climates), insulation (in some cases), high thermal mass and other cooling elements can provide high comfort with no air-conditioning, or with just a small load of it.

The exceptions involves hot and humid climates with unfavorable breezes. In these climates, mechanical air-conditioning - properly focused in their role and design - ensures thermal comfort, otherwise impossible.

Cooling and New Homes Design

An adequate design and proper cooling techniques will reduce, and in some cases eliminate, mechanical air conditioning requirements – even in areas where cooling is a dominant need.

The home design varies with climate and should provide natural ventilation and shading (to reduce heat transfer and infiltration).

Features like insulation, massive walls, reflective roofs, adequate location and sizing of the windows should work jointly. But there other elements to consider, varying with the climate or the homeowner’s options...

Natural cooling: natural ventilation and shading

Natural cooling involves 1) shading and 2) natural ventilation… Something that is provided by elements like the house orientation, trees, mechanical shading devices or well-dimensioned overhangs and windows…

Orientation, Layout and Landscaping

The orientation of the house, its floor-plan and landscaping elements like trees are important elements of both heating and cooling strategies.

Fans and other cooling devices

If you live in a hot-dry climate, consider the evaporative cooling solution (swamp fans) for your new home. Ceiling and window fans (and other type of fans) are also important and inexpensive elements of any cooling strategy, in all climates.

See:
Window Fans for Cross Ventilation
Fans and Cooling
Fans Usage
Ceiling Fans Basics