Home Design for Cooler Living
A-Z tips for home design and cooler living
If you are currently living in a hot box, then you might be thinking that air conditioning is the answer to cooler living. Whilst many would find it difficult to get through an Australian summer in Queensland without an air-conditioner these days, looking at the home design for cooler living will bring greater rewards. Whilst it may not eliminate the need for air conditioning completely for some, it will massively reduce the days that running your air conditioner is required, and then reduce the time the air conditioner has to run to keep your family comfortable.
This will equate to thousands of dollars saved in energy costs and a smaller carbon foot print. So whether you want to save money, save the planet or just enjoy a cooler fresher home, this advise is for you.
The secret to a comfortable living home
Every year thousands of display homes are built around Australia. Most of these show homes could be described as hot boxes, because most builders and home designers are seemingly not aware of this secret I am about to reveal.
The secret is that the sun heats a home, and breezes cool a home. You might think this is obvious but when to start to look at home designs you will realize otherwise. Most home designers and house builders and their home buyers don’t realise this. How else could there would be no such term as hot box to describe what most of these homes will feel like to live in?
So what’s the solution to building and living in a cooler home? Here’s my tips on building a cooler home.
First Consider the Land Orientation and Solar aspect
- Select your block of land for the right orientation. Before you even think about the home design, choose the block. Most people will tell you that a north facing home is the correct orientation for a home. I believe that they are wrong for tropical and sub tropical Queensland, and that includes the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and the Hinterland. Why you might ask? Because that is not where and how we live in Queensland.
- Choose a South facing block for the best orientation. That way your outdoor living area can face north east, the ideal orientation for outdoor living, parties and the afternoon barbeque.
- A west facing block can be OK too! Most people would shun a west facing block of land. But with a home designed for this orientation it could be a great home. Most builders and home designers won’t be able to help you here, so find one who can.
- What if your land faces another way? Design your home for that orientation and for solar aspect.
- Remember, every block of land has a north, east, south and west side, so every home also has a north, south, east and west facing side! So you should design your home around that thought.
- Choose the home design for the block of land. Many home plans are designed on the basis that homes should face north. But your land may face east or west or south. Whilst many people will shun such a block, most others will fall in love with a home designed for north facing and then build it on land with another orientation.
- Choose the land lot orientation for the home design. Buying any block that the home design will fit can be a mistake. This is happening more often since the land price has overtaken the house contract value.
- Minimise heat transfer from west facing windows. Eliminate the windows, use only high under eave windows or use double glazing and cool glazing in those windows that you cannot remove. Remember, useful light enters from the top of the window, and heat from the bottom of the window. Whilst skylights are the ultimate in delivering light where its useful, longer highlights under the eaves provide lots of light and little heat. Using cool glass or double glazing will further prevent heat transfer from the window.
- Have eaves [soffits] to all sides of the roof. Even garages. If your design uses areas pushed out under the eaves, ensure these are not facing west and are only wardrobes and the like. Besides sun protection they also offer rain protection to windows and cavity walls. They also add to the air volume of the ceiling cavity.
- Insulate all west facing walls. Besides the daily heat in summer, you have to consider the cold westerlies in spring. So in addition to thermal wrap foil, I recommend that you invest in insulation batts on that side also.
- Insulate your ceiling space. Your roof is the biggest area facing the sun, and radiates heat into the roof space. Insulation will prevent this energy from heating your living areas.
- Design your home for air flow and air movement and to create breezes by drawing air through the home. I often see homes designed to trap air, block air flow. This might be OK for homes in places like Melbourne where cold winters are an issue, and heating is a major expense, but it is bad for Queensland’s climate due to the humidity, which can cause mold and fungus issues, as well as make the home unbearable without air conditioning. For instance by front door is usually open 24 hours a day, even through most of winter.
- Specify higher ceilings. More air volume creates a spacious feeling and gives you insulation from the ceiling heat.
- Have higher door heights throughout the home. Taller doors allow more air to flow. The higher air is hotter and higher doors allows this air to flow out. Also they let more light into halls and adjacent areas. Having opening highlights over doors will help to remove hot air from your home.
- Use Ceiling Fans in bedrooms and living areas. Ceiling fans costs next to nothing to run 24 hours a day, and assist in creating airflow to remove hot stale air. They also assist in lower your body temperature. I have seen reports that say that running a fan in an empty run is a waste of time. It is not true in Queensland.
- Vent kitchen air through the roof. Used extractor fans to suck out oven and range cooktop heat from the kitchen area. Venting the damp and hot, often fat laden air to the ceiling vent is illegal and its dangerous and could cause a fire in your ceiling space. Have a vent pipe fitted and vent the kitchen extractor exhaust air out safely above the roof.
- Range-hoods that recirculate air are useless as they return heated air to your kitchen. This may be useful in Melbourne, Victoria, but not in Brisbane, Queensland. Ensure that these are vented out above the roof.
- Higher pitched roofs reflect more heat away and have more air volume which has an insulating effect. As a bonus roof pitches over 30 degrees will allow harvesting of condensation from the roof into rain water tanks. [about 80 litres a day, even with no rainfall.]
- Light coloured roof cladding, tiles or iron will reduce the heat load on your home.
- Where possible reduce the size of the west facing roof areas. As homes these days are built longways down narrower blocks, a west facing block can create a cooler home. This will give a narrower roof side facing the west, and much more heat will be deflected away. With the double garage in the front, it means less heat load on living areas.
- Where you have a west facing block, insulate the garage roof area! The garage door should also be insulated where the afternoon sun strikes it. Having eaves over the front of a west facing garage is also a must.
- You must have a portico or verandah on the front of the west facing home design.
- If you render your home, ensure you have it painted over with a ceramic added, or other insulating paint, and paint the home a lighter colour.
- Unrendered brick walls should be of a light coloured brick and mortar to reflect heat.
- To ensure good air flow in the loft area to remove heat, install two whirly bird roof vent wind fans, and have vented slots specified to the eaves. Ensure that the vented slot are screened to exclude vermin and insects from our roof cavity.
- Wherever possible include double doors to the entry. The wide pivot doors may look great, but how can you have them opened and have security screens and fly screened?
- Consider metal variable Louvres to external windows to reduce heat load west facing windows. My preferred option is cool glass or double glazed awning windows. Roller shutters shut out noise and light, but are best solutions after the home is built. Before the home is built specifying double glazing, cool glazing, laminated and tinted glazing, and removing windows to other walls is preferable.
- Internal white or light coloured walls reflect light, and make you feel cool. This will allow you to use less electric lighting and asv heat from these sources.
- Pelmets and curtains cut heat and noise. But its better to use cool glass, laminated glass and or double glazing when specifying windows. Pelmets and heavy curtains can then be used for style.
- Ensure you include an outdoor living area and have a barbeque that you can fire up on hot nights. This will allow you to enjoy the cooler air and keep cooking from heating up your home.
- Plant shade trees on the Western side of the home. Ensure you choose council rated trees that don’t damage drainage pipes. The Queensland Box is a classic you can consider.
Home design for cooler living summary
Whether you want a cooler, fresher more pleasant home to live in, or you want to save a energy bills and save the planet at the same time, planning your home design for cooler living will help you achieve all three, and will pay for itself.
Even if you have already secured your land to build on, there are so many ways to use good house design to make the home a joy to live in regardless of the land’s orienation. Using these tips as a guide will help you improve your life in so many ways. Please feel free to use them.
Remember every building lot and therefore every home has a north, east, south and west facing side, or degree thereof. Once you understand this reality and design for that reality, then you will achieve a better designed home, that will have a greater value than could otherwise be achieved.
Author: Rick Adlam, Mr Mortgage
