01 Dec 2007
Bradford Insulation recommends the following for keeping your home cool this summer.
Quick tips for existing homes
- Keeping doors closed when cooling a central room, especially doors of rooms that aren’t used so the room will cool quicker and more efficiently.
- Limiting the amount of sunlight coming directly into your home during the hottest hours of the day by keeping your shutters, curtains or venetian blinds closed.
- Installing screens on windows and doors so they can be left open to allow air circulation, whilst preventing insects.
- In absence of an air conditioner, placing a large bowl of ice in front of a fan giving you instant cold air!
- Avoiding using heat generating appliances such as stoves, microwave ovens and vacuums during the hottest hours of the day.
- Enjoying the summer nights by cooking outdoor BBQ’s instead of cooking inside.
- Painting external walls a lighter colour to reflect heat or even a quick early evening hose down of hot bricks and tiles will slow transfer through your walls and roof
- By installing ceiling insulation such as Bradford Gold BattsTM your house can remain up to 7°C cooler in summer.
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Considerations for building a new home
- Installing Bradford Insulation in the walls and floors during construction stage to minimise heat transfer and maximise acoustic control.
- By installing Bradford Insulation and CSR Edmonds Ventilation Systems in your roof space, you will be extracting stale and hot air, making your ceiling insulation more effective and could save an additional 4.5 per cent annually on energy.
- Choosing a design that best suits the aspect of your property – one that controls the strong westerly sun in summer and takes advantage of the warmth and light from north facing glass in winter.
- Dividing your home into climate zones by installing doors that close or create zones that can be cooled efficiently.
- Don’t forget about the areas where heat can enter and cool air can leave: chimneys, exhaust fans and vented downlights.