Showing results 1 - 50 of 81
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A 5,000- 6,000 Btu/hr air conditioner drawing about 500 watts can be installed in one window of a designated cool room (it is important that the installation is insulated and well-sealed
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A battery storage system can provide reliable back-up power during a grid power outage
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A cool roof utilizes materials with high solar reflectance and thermal emittance to reflect solar energy and reduce heat gain to the home
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A cool room should have low enough heat gains to be easily cooled by a small single-zone cooling system such as a mini-split or a window air-conditioner as shown here
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A mini-split air-conditioning system can be a highly effective low-energy approach to provide cooling to one designated zone in the house
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A reversible window fan can operate via thermostatic or remote control and can selectively exhaust air or bring in outdoor air
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A screened-in porch will protect windows from rain, provide shade, and allow more airflow through windows than window screens would
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A shallow, open floor plan allows free flow of cross ventilation through the house
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A variety of battery-powered fans can be used for a cool room without electric power; most charge off a USB charger so they can be solar charged
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Air speeds generated by a typical ceiling fan are in the ideal range for providing occupant cooling without causing disruption
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Airflow can be directed across thermal mass in the ceiling, floor, or elsewhere inside the home through various window and louver configurations
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An innovative U-shaped heat pump offers SEER 15 efficiency and operation with smart phones
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Ceiling fans can be used to aid a night flush strategy by helping to cool down wall and floor surfaces more thoroughly at night, and by providing comfort ventilation during the day
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Comfort ventilation focuses on airflow over occupants; in this example of wind-driven cross ventilation, the air is directed through the main occupied areas of the bedroom
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Cool towers like this one at the Zion National Park Visitor Center can provide cooling to a building without any energy consumption
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Create a cool room to shelter from extreme heat by selecting a room in the basement or on the north or shaded side of the house, air sealing and insulating, providing low-wattage and battery-operated cooling, and reducing interior heat loads.
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Dense hedges can encourage cross ventilation (left image) or not (right image) depending on how they are placed relative to windows
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Double fan window units can have multiple operational modes; most often outdoor air will be brought in at night when outdoor conditions are cooler
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Ducted whole-house fans should be installed with the duct curved and the fan suspended from rafters to reduce noise and vibration transmission to the living area.
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Earth tubes buried in the ground can provide pre-cooling of ventilation air or primary cooling if designed deep and long enough
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Evaporative coolers use a fan to draw outside air through a wetted pad which cools and humidifies it
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Evaporative cooling is most appropriate in areas where the summer design mean coincident wet bulb temperature is less than 70°F, shown in purple here and labeled as region “A”
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Even when wind is blowing parallel to a wall, an open casement window can create a zone of higher pressure near the window opening, driving airflow into the house
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Example of an earth-sheltered home in hot climate Tempe, AZ uses the cooling properties of the ground to decrease cooling costs
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Having both low and high ventilation openings is necessary to promote airflow from the stack effect
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If a cool room is directly under an attic or roof, having lighter colored roofing (home on left) will reduce heat gain to the space as compared to darker roofing (home on right) because the temperature of the roof will be lower (see thermal image)
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In hot climate zones, shade building surface with vegetation for passive cooling.
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In hot, dry climates, passive cooling should focus on shading, night flush through cross ventilation and whole-house fans, potentially using high-mass construction
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In hot, humid climates, passive cooling should focus on shading, airflow through cross ventilation and ceiling fans, and low-mass construction
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Inducing airflow through the stack effect requires low inlets and high outlets such as a ridge hood or crown monitor
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Installing an ENERGY STAR ceiling fan is a low-energy way to improve comfort in a designated cool room
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Landscape trees and shrubs to funnel cooling breeze towards a home in hot climate zones.
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Landscaping and Bahama shutters can provide important shade for a designated cool room
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Light colors have been used on exterior walls and roofs to keep buildings cooler in hot climates for centuries, as shown by this traditional building in Morocco, built in the early 1800s
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Light-colored roofs and walls and deep overhangs for shade are some of the features used by builders in the hot-humid climate (Source: Alys Beach Construction).
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Locating windows on adjacent and opposite sides of the house will allow cross ventilation regardless of wind direction
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Passive cooling techniques can reduce or eliminate the use of air conditioning and can be used for backup cooling during emergencies.
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Portable air conditioners offer flexibility with where they are located, but usually need to be installed near a window as they require one or two intake/exhaust ducts connected to the exterior
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Right – This home uses a light-colored exterior wall to reduce solar heat gain
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Right – This home uses light tan stucco and white trim to reduce solar heat gain.
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Right – This metal roof is being coated with a cool (high SRI) coating to reduce solar heat gain
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Right: This house plan orients broad building surfaces away from the west and east, trees are used to shade the west and east, and large overhangs shade windows on the south wall