Ten Ways to Transform Your Home into a Passive Cooling House

Passive or natural cooling is a great way to reduce strain on your AC unit and save money on your energy bill. But if you want to take things a few steps further, you may be able to do away with the need for an AC system altogether, obliterating not only your AC energy bill but also your AC repair and maintenance budget, duct-cleaning costs, and other associated expenses. However, this much passive cooling requires a multi-pronged approach. Here are ten things you can do to get started with passively cooling your house today, whether you just want to save energy or want to work your AC system out of a job.

1. Shield windows from the sun

If you can prevent heat buildup from windows, you may reduce overall heat buildup significantly. Try using awnings such as aluminum awnings, reflective coatings, shutters, heavy drapes, and shade plants to block sunlight from reaching windows.

2. Increase attic ventilation

Even if your attic has enough ventilation to allow humidity to escape, it probably doesn't have enough to allow hot air to be exchanged for cooler air outside. Increasing ventilation can help hot air to escape along with humidity.

3. Coat your roof

Multiple types of cool coatings are available that can help your roof reflect the sun's light and heat rather than absorbing it and transferring it into your home. This is one of the best ways to "cool" your roof.

4. Use a reflective barrier

Instead of installing a reflective barrier on the floor of your attic, try fastening one just under the surface of the roof so it can catch and reflect heat as soon as it enters. This may be able to help you deflect up to a quarter of the heat that enters through your roof through the ceiling.

5. Set up a sprinkler system

Using sprinklers on your roof isn't for everyone, since it is a bit water intensive. However, this can be an effective alternative cooling measure. So if you live in an area with plenty of water, consider trying this method of cooling your home through evaporation.

6. Shade your roof and walls

The roof is in a great position to absorb heat throughout the day, so using multiple tactics to prevent this isn't really overkill. In addition to using sprinklers and a cool roof coating, you can use shade sails, shade cloth, or shade trees to deflect sunlight before it even reaches your roof. Bushes and trellised vines can both help shade walls.

7. Paint your house white

Like the roof, your walls can reflect sunlight better if they're painted a lighter color. Of course, since they're positioned more vertically, your walls are less likely to receive the heaviest sunlight during the hotter parts of the day, but that doesn't mean they aren't a factor.

8. Use window fans

Putting fans in the windows can be a great way to exchange indoor air for fresh, cool nighttime air. Just open all the windows when the outside temperature falls below the inside temperature and use fans to blow air out at one side of the house while drawing air in at the other side (working in the direction of the breeze is best).

9. Use ceiling fans

Ceiling fans can help keep air moving inside your house throughout the day, which can help you feel cooler and help you actually cool off through evaporative cooling.

10. Insulate and seal

Insulation is vital, especially attic insulation. Add insulation to the attic first, then start to beef up the insulation around the walls to prevent heat exchange with the outside air. Air leaks aren't likely to be one of your biggest heat gains, but they can be troublesome when you've fixed all the other issues. Seal chinks and use weatherstripping around doors to optimize cooling.

These ten steps can help you transform your house into a naturally cooled structure. After all these things are in place, you may find that your home keeps itself cool without AC for part or most of the summer, or it may be time to move on to more advanced methods (such as using basement air cooling and getting more energy-efficient appliances) to make your cooling system even more efficient.