For
a tropical region, a cool interior with continuous flow of air is desirable because of high humidity and intense sun rays that emits a lot of head to the environment
Generating
cooler air through mechanical /electrical means can be expensive as well, but
you can do a lot to reduce the heat in your home. The general concept is to
keep the air moving.
1. Providing
a shade porch-A porch will help break the sun rays and reduce its penetration
into the interior.
2. Choose
sites and orient your house to take advantage of the naturally occurring wind
flow. That is more openings should be along the inward and leeward side of the
wind.
3. You
can make your windows tall on opposite sides of the room to give good cross
ventilation.
4. You
can also create a smaller opening directly up on top of the normal bigger ones
in the room-This is called “stack effect” whereby hot air generated from the
ground naturally moves up to be replaced by cooler air from the top this will
make the air circulate better and will also reduce the temperature as new and
fresh air enters from the smaller top windows into the room and replaces the
hot ones closer to the ground.
5. High
walls also help to reduce temperature, that’s why most buildings with high
volume of traffic are always very high-mosque ,church , halls etc. The same
principle of hot air navigating and finding ways of escape from the building
through several vents and other channels.
6. Minimize
the numbers of windows facing East and West or totally avoid it if possible to
avoid sun rays of rising Eastern sun in the morning and intense western setting
sun in the evenings.
7. Provide
properly sized overhangs for your windows and doors will also help in
reducing heat in the home.
8. You
can also plant trees around home especially leafy or deciduous trees which will help to break the sun rays, gives cooling effect, and from your biology class
emits oxygen which is useful for man and take in carbon monoxide.
9. Use
of very thick solid walls to slowly absorb heat during the day and slowly
releases the heat out at night. Imagine the cooling effect you experience when
you enter a cave and mud houses.
10. Also
thick blocks with wide hollow space can help reduce heat-When the sun rays
heat the first portion of the block during transmission of the heat the
hollow space help to break direct transmission to the exterior, meanwhile
remember the hotter air will always find its way up to give room to the cooler
air to come down (note: when you boil your water)
11. Use
of natural materials helps a lot in cooling the building. Materials like thatch
roof, mud etc
12. Since
sun rises from the east and sets in the west, you can easily minimize the wall
space facing these sides and increase the wall space facing North and South
especially when you are not limited by space.
13. Use
light colored roof-Light color reflects, and makes the roof reflective
14. You
can take advantage of natural resources and build close to water bodies or
artificial lakes- The water helps to cool the environment because the cooler
water will rise/evaporate which will also be blown to your interior and makes
it cool.
15. In
the design of the building you can have exterior walls as part of the building
but jutting out to effectively block some sun rays. This could be fins
along the windows.
16. Louvered
interior doors will make air flow without inhibitions in the interior
17. In
design if block walls in the interior can be reduced to create room for
open space for air to pass.
18. Use
of dwarf walls in the interior where necessary is also an advantage
19. You
can also have openings at the top of doors for air to easily flow even through
the rooms in the interior
20. Usage
of awning for the exterior will make the interior cool check You can also apply
shutters in windows and doors
21.Draperies
,curtains ,Venetian blinds that are tightly fit also helps to reduce heat
22. Usage
of reflective windows-You can ask specifically for reflective windows from your
builder. Reflective windows reflects some percentage of the sun ray
thereby reducing heat in the home.
23.You
can also help yourself by minimizing heat generated indoors through your
appliances- Select energy efficient appliances , for example energy saving
bulbs will reduce heat in your home to the conventional type.
24.Strenuous
exercise and work that can be done outside is better to take them out.
25. By
your actions too you can reduce the level of heat generated indoors by simply
scheduling the use of your kitchen and laundry appliances in the cooler mornings
and night.
26.Of
course plant gardens in your home.
27.The
paint color of your wall will reflect some percentage of sun ray when is light.
Make your wall color a light one
28.When
you have roof vents, gable vents etc in your building, the heat generated
inwards will have a wider means of escaping and the cooler air too can be drawn
inside.
29. You
can also have pergolas
30.Make
your plastering smooth, it will reflect better to rough plaster.
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