How to keep cool without breaking the bank
Queensland heat can make our homes uncomfortable and at times unhealthy.
That’s because most of our homes are not built to keep the heat out and cool in.
No matter how well designed your home is, keeping cool can mean big energy bills. It does not have to be that way.
How do our bodies cool down?
Sweat and air flow
To cool down, our bodies sweat. When sweat evaporates, it cools down our skin. When our skin cools, it cools the blood directly below it. This cooler blood travels all over our body, cooling down our entire body.
A person’s body cools down by 3 to 4℃ when sweat evaporates from our skin.
It is airflow, such as a fan, that helps sweat to evaporate and keep us cool.
Humidity will slow down the evaporation of our sweat. That’s why humid heat feels hotter. But air flow helps with this too!
In the heat, air flow is your friend.
With this in mind, let’s tackle our sweaty summers!
The energy efficient way to keep cool
1 - Shade
Direct sunlight heats us up and our homes, especially during a Queensland summer! Use curtains, shade sails, blinds and trees to provide shade and keep your home cool.
2 - Air flow
If the temperature and humidity outside is less than it is inside your home, open exterior doors and windows to increase air flow. If it's hotter outside than inside, turn on the fan!
3 - Air conditioning
In humid areas of Queensland, the most energy efficient way of operating air conditioning is to use the dry or dehumidifier mode.
If you have both air conditioning and fans, then always use the fans when turning on the air conditioning. Remember, the extra air flow generated by the fans makes you feel cooler.
At times, it will simply be too hot, and you will want to use air conditioning on cooling mode. During summer, air conditioning can be a significant portion of our power bills. One easy thing to remember when setting your air conditioning temperature is that for every 1 ℃ higher, you can save up to 10% in electricity.
Always keep the fans on. With the fans on, you can set the air conditioning temperature at 25-27 ℃, and it will feel like 21-24 ℃.
Don’t forget to close internal doors and windows attached to the room you’re cooling. This will prevent warmer air entering the room from other areas.
In dry areas of Queensland, the most energy efficient way of cooling homes is to use evaporative cooling, often called swampies. Evaporative cooling adds humidity to the air and when the humidity evaporates it drops the air temperature. Because evaporative cooling adds humidity to the air, it is important to open your doors and windows at cooler times of the day to allow the air flow to move the humidity outside.
Dry mode uses less energy than cooling mode and still make you feel cooler by removing the humidity from the air, allowing your sweat to evaporate faster.
Air flow, air conditioning, and dehumidifier play a great role in keeping us cool. They also play an important in controlling mould.