As those who live and enjoy the equator and the many joys it brings as a source of light and warmth, we are also the people who suffer from excessive heating and sometimes even heat strokes during the hotter months of the year. While mechanical cooling systems have been proven to be effective in the past, it is becoming more and more of a burden to use mechanical systems as a cooling option as a result of the heavy expenditure incurred in using them. The excessive use of energy is a source of harm to the environment and as a solution to discouraging the use of such systems, governments have imposed high taxes, thus resulting in high costs for the use of these amenities. As a result we have been forced to find alternative methods of keeping our homes cool during the warm months of the year. Here are a few such techniques.
The building envelope
The building envelope is the first layer of protection any building is offered and is also the thing which is most subjected to the mood swings of Mother Nature. Thus, the building envelope needs to be strong enough to withstand the brunt of the effects thrown at it by nature while still maintaining the privacy and aesthetic aspects for the residents of the house. There are specific building materials which are designed or have inherent properties which help keep interiors cool such as timber and mud walls.Modern materials such as concrete and glass are traditionally not meant to be materials used to keep interiors cool, however, the proper use of these materials can help keep the interiors cool without having to resolve to the use of primitive mud walls. While glazing windows is a high cost, one can easily find cheap double glazed windows on the market which help retain the modern sophistication of using glass in a house while still helping keep it cool during the day.
If you are still worried about the double glazed doors prices taking a brunt of your budget, compare it with the savings you will be enjoying throughout the year in cooling costs as a result of using these windows compared to a traditional single pane window.The roof gets hit the hardest by the harsh sun rays and needs to be properly insulated and constructed to keep the interiors cool. If you live in a drier climate where the nights are significantly cooler than the day, the use of a flat roof with a high thermal mass will do well against the heat. In the wet zone however, this will only make the place feel warmer and more humid and thus, a better ventilated roof system is advised.