# Keeping the house cool in summer - how do you?



## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

There seems to be two schools of thought on keeping old houses cool in the summer. One is fling all the windows and doors open and hope for a breeze, the other is keep everything closed and use the insulating properties of the thick walls to keep the house cool.

The English seem to go for the former and the Spanish the later.

I can't make my mind up and am stuck in the middle... one thing I do try is when it's cooler in the evening is open the windows upstairs in the hotter rooms and rely on convection to drag the cooler air upstairs as the warm air exits via the windows.

(Note: I'm not moaning about it being hot:dance

What techniques work for you?


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

Which ever side the sun is on I have all the windows closed until the sun has moved round. 
One side of my house is permanently in shade so these windows are open 24 / 7. 
Fans are strategically placed to push air around the house and not let it stagnate.
Other than that, I find the starfish position laid out on my bed works wonders, lol.


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## rewdan (Feb 23, 2010)

for me it's doors open all day, we get a good breeze from the sea and it travels up the stairs to the bedrooms and out. I also sleep with the doors open, have fans and adopt the starfish position


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Open everything early in the morning to let fresh air in but as soon as the sun is up, close them PDQ. During the heat of the day keep doors and windows closed, blinds down, curtains drawn. If you have awnings, keep them extended - do anything you can to shade the house and windows. Use thermal curtains if possible (over doors and windows) - these will also keep you warm in winter.

LOTS of fans!!


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Not forgetting the trusty aircon of course.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> Open everything early in the morning to let fresh air in but as soon as the sun is up, close them PDQ. During the heat of the day keep doors and windows closed, blinds down, curtains drawn. If you have awnings, keep them extended - do anything you can to shade the house and windows. Use thermal curtains if possible (over doors and windows) - these will also keep you warm in winter.
> 
> LOTS of fans!!


This works a treat. A very successful alternative is to spend the summer months in Antarctica...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thrax said:


> This works a treat. A very successful alternative is to spend the summer months in Antarctica...


or even just the UK...................


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

playamonte said:


> Not forgetting the trusty aircon of course.


Yes, if you want dry throats and high lecky bills you can always resort to aircon ...


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

We do not have the extremes of the Iberian summers, however perhaps twice a year we go into the high 30º's, then I close the shutters in the front of the house to keep out the morning sun. The house/bungalow is nearly always up to ten degrees cooler with a through breeze, we have thick walls, it is very old. Most of our windows are open throughout the year

Fans and air-conditioning are not needed here, however I believe they are used in the higher villages and those on the south side of the island.


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## jules 123 (Apr 26, 2011)

Open all the windows and doors and run the fans as necessary. We have a first floor apartment with lots of through breeze and only get overheated when the hot African winds blow in and the temperaturse nudge up to 40 degrees plus.


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

I think it all depends on where you live & what you live in. It's no good for us to open doors & windows here because the breeze at this time of year is as if god has opened the door to his fan oven.

We live in a villa that has, compared to typical UK builds, the insulating qualities of a sieve so closing everything down during the day works for a while but it eventually heats up so for us it's aircon which used properly isn't as expensive as you might think. Not much good of course if you don't like aircon but it's fine for us.



Doggy


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

If it's 35 degrees outside and 28 inside, opening doors and windows is madness.


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## jules 123 (Apr 26, 2011)

owdoggy said:


> I think it all depends on where you live & what you live in. It's no good for us to open doors & windows here because the breeze at this time of year is as if god has opened the door to his fan oven.
> 
> We live in a villa that has, compared to typical UK builds, the insulating qualities of a sieve so closing everything down during the day works for a while but it eventually heats up so for us it's aircon which used properly isn't as expensive as you might think. Not much good of course if you don't like aircon but it's fine for us.
> 
> ...


Agree. Opening doors and windows works for us facing a mountain and half a km from the sea, although our neighbours in the town house opposite do not get the breeze so have their shutters down during the day.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

xgarb said:


> There seems to be two schools of thought on keeping old houses cool in the summer. One is fling all the windows and doors open and hope for a breeze, the other is keep everything closed and use the insulating properties of the thick walls to keep the house cool.
> 
> The English seem to go for the former and the Spanish the later.
> 
> ...


I have an old town house that is lovely and cool, no fans or aircon. The house has a tiny tiny courtyard that is enclosed by walls that must 50 feet high and this makes a wind tunnel, the back door is left open and life is wonderful indoors. Incidentally an Egyptian friend of mine built a new house last year in the old Arabian style of building your house around various shaft with window to draw cool air in... Works a treat


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## lovodale (Aug 22, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Open everything early in the morning to let fresh air in but as soon as the sun is up, close them PDQ. During the heat of the day keep doors and windows closed, blinds down, curtains drawn. If you have awnings, keep them extended - do anything you can to shade the house and windows. Use thermal curtains if possible (over doors and windows) - these will also keep you warm in winter.
> 
> LOTS of fans!!


We used the same system when we lived in Cyprus and it really helped.


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## karunaji (May 3, 2010)

keeping the house cool. Full cave is no problem - ambient 18c all seasons. Disadvantage is dependency on artificial light source. Add ons to cavehouses - those "character" bits warm up to about 24 -25c in July/August in Andalucia. I keep the one total caveroom absolutely closed all day. 

For the rooms at the mercy of the heat - as my mum used to do in Australia many years ago - you learn the point of the morning beyond which the air gets warmer. That is when to close everything. I have grass matting attached to my exterior window grills. At times, I open one of the windows and hang an old thin cotton bed sheet across it - then just spray it with water now and again. The old punkkas in India were also kept wet - and worked a treat.

Try to create a little through draught from the shadiest part of the house.

Outside I have invested in the black raffia covering market stall holders use overhead. It is excellent as a surround as well as overhead segments overlapping. A little like a berber tent. Not sexy but it works. I attach the top part to the stretchy, plastic covered coiled curtain holders with garden wire (the type that is covered in green plastic). This is stronger than anything else in places where there are strong winds. The sides can be attached to fixtures with zip/cable ties - one uses for gardening. Allow enough give for strong winds. Try to seal the cut edges with black duct tape so they don't fray. Has made our pation etc habitable in the merciless 45+c we have up here.

Save your shower water for the watering can during the day to sprinkle down the concrete parts neares doors and windows or patio area.


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