Natural cooling

How can one face the unbearable heat, and how could the house cool in summer without resorting to expensive and energy intensive solutions? Is there some clever measures we can implement? Follow these simple and environmentally friendly steps to reduce the temperature in your house and improve comfort conditions in summer.


The simplest and most effective way to keep your home cool is to prevent the heat to get to and stored indoors. The heat comes primarily from sunlight falling on the walls and openings and secondarily from various other internal sources (such as lighting, appliances, etc.).

So you can avoid the accumulation of heat in your space and thus increase the internal temperature, with four distinct ways:

The hazy dark exterior walls absorb 70-90% of incident solar radiation, resulting in heat storage, which eventually spreads to the interior of your building. In contrast, lighter walls reflecting greater proportion of incident radiation, reducing heat transfer through the indoor surfaces. The temperature of a dark surface can reach up to 27oC higher than a light-colored surface.

Another important route for absorption and heat transfer is the roof. Again, a light-colored roof (or a roof insulated with reflective film or better still a «green» planted roof) helps keep your home cooler.


The entry of solar radiation in the interior through the transparent surfaces contribute to a large percentage of dissatisfaction in the summer heat and increasing energy consumption for cooling. Up to 40% of the accumulated heat can go inside your house through the glass. The use of reflective films on glazed and even the installation of low ekpempsimotitas glazing (low-e) is an effective solution. The extra cost for the fitting of special glazing to the depreciation anyway than the savings you will have air conditioning.

By preventing the entry of thermal radiation
There are two excellent ways to prevent the heat to get your home in summer. These methods are thermal insulation and shading.If your home was built after 1978, then not normally have sufficient insulation. However, most homes were built in Greece before the implementation of the thermal insulation regulations. Seven out of ten houses are therefore unprotected in the cold and heat. An option to think without having to tear down walls, the outer insulation. Several companies now provide external insulation products that can help you improve the energy performance of your building. The cost of surgery is important, but can be combined with the renovation and maintenance of the external facades of the building.

External Shading is the most effective way to restrict entry of solar radiation and thus heat, indoor. Priority is given to shading of transparent and then opaque surfaces. The shading can help you reduce the temperature inside the house by up to 11 degrees. The shading can be done either by appropriate planting of trees and plants or by appropriate awnings, supplied in a wide variety and price range. The blinds are can range from simple awnings to specially designed metal awnings that achieve excellent results. Customize depending on the orientation, ie horizontal blinds on south exposures and sharply to the east and west.

The proper use of trees for shade can reduce air conditioning costs by 15-50%. Even if a tree casts a shadow merely an air conditioner outdoor unit, this could mean a reduction of electricity consumption by 10% due to improved operational efficiency of the unit. Prefer deciduous trees that impede solar radiation to reach your place in the summer but in winter you need it. The trees should shade the east, west and south side of the building to prevent the sun late morning, noon and afternoon respectively.

On warm summer days, a tree casts a shadow on your home corresponds with 5 air conditioning systems for 20 hours. Three trees planted properly can reduce energy for cooling by up to 50%.

Nothing is more delightful than a hot day a cool breeze. So be sure to create some drafts in your home. Where you can, fan rooms at night when the outside air temperature is low, eliminating thus the heat accumulated in the interior during the day. The bright night cooling can reduce the cooling load of a building up to 80%!


To enhance the natural air circulation and to achieve better and more efficient cooling you can install a mechanical ventilation system. Moreover, such a system and refreshes the air in your home, who noted, are often particularly sensitive to toxic pollutants, allergens and radon.

The most simple and inexpensive way is mechanical ventilation with fans, preferably roof, creating a pleasant flow of air around the human body.

Reducing internal heat sources in the home

The lighting, and the use of electric and electronic devices can significantly raise the temperature in your place and this is particularly undesirable during the hot summer days. The problem is mitigated if you use light bulbs and energy saving devices. A classic incandescent bulb, for instance, converts approximately 80% of the consumed electricity into heat which radiates at the unnecessary warming. Using new energy bulbs (eg compact fluorescent lamps) which have a long life and lower energy consumption (about 10 times longer life and consume only 20% of the corresponding power of the common incandescent bulbs), avoid this extra heat. Get end the full potential of natural lighting.