It doesn’t take much for a home to become hot in Australian summer, particularly where the sun beams onto large windows in the afternoon. While air conditioning will fix the problem you’re experiencing, cooling a whole day long doesn’t always have to be your main focus. Creating a cooler home often begins with keeping the heat from entering the house in the first place, as it is more difficult for a home’s air conditioning to extract the heat after it has already gone through the glass, the roof and the walls.

Stop direct sun before it reaches the glass

Although interior blinds and curtains are effective interior shading, exterior shading can do the job better because it interrupts the sun’s energy before it hits your window surface. Awnings, eaves, external shutters or screens all assist to some degree, as do the direction the window faces and architectural style of the home. If the home is to be situated with windows facing the west, this often creates the biggest problem as they take the direct afternoon sun when outside temperature is the highest.

Use curtains properly

Consider installing a ceiling fan, heavy curtains and blockout blinds can cut out the radiant heat and create a more comfortable environment in the room. Remember closing things, the early, not late, part is most effective for cooling in the summer, however in cooler mornings once the room starts to cool you can open things up again to introduce air and light.

Create cross-ventilation when conditions allow

When outside air is cooler than indoor air, opening windows on different sides of the house could help vent the warmer air outside. Ceiling fans help this process greatly as they use little electricity for the effect of moving the air compared to an air conditioner.

This works best at the right times. If the day is extremely hot, opening up the house in the afternoon only increases exposure to hotter air. Many households have found success with opening the windows to ventilate in the morning before it heats up and again at night after it cooled down outside.

Consider how external shutters fit into the bigger picture

External window coverings can serve more than one purpose. Along with shade, they can give residents additional control over privacy, glare and how much light enters a room.

Homeowners comparing options can look at suppliers such as Roller Shutter People to see how contemporary roller shutters are used on bedrooms, living areas and other residential windows. The important point is to consider them as part of a broader heat-management strategy rather than expecting any single product to solve every comfort issue.

Reduce heat from the roof and ceiling

Windows are far from the only contributors to room warmth. The hue of the roof, the level of ceiling insulation, and airflow in the roof cavity all contribute significantly to the temperature of upper level spaces. A home with inadequate ceiling insulation, particularly in the roof cavity, can significantly improve comfort once it has been improved. In winter, improved ceiling insulation should also offer benefits by retaining heat loss from the house via that component of the building envelope.

Use appliances with the weather in mind

Surprisingly large amounts of heat are generated by ovens, older light fittings and clothes dryers. Cook outside on the barbecue, use smaller appliances or run your dishwasher after it gets cooler for large cost savings in the warmer months.

These small changes reduce the workload on your air conditioning unit

Combine small improvements

The Most Comfort able homes generally rely on the combination of all the below: Insulation; Shade; Ventilation; smart windows furnishings; And cool only when actually necessary How Do I Make Sure Your Home isn’t Heating Up at Night in Summer? Don’t set out to not use your air conditioning at all. Instead, ask yourself-How can I minimise my air conditioning usage? There is much more use in preventing heat from going in to begin with.