Beat the Heat with these Warm-Weather Ventilation Tips

We spend a lot of time writing about energy efficiency and how proper ventilation is important for indoor air quality. In this article, we'll look at how to use your ventilation to increase your warm-weather energy efficiency. By employing these tactics, you'll be able to have healthy air and a smaller energy bill.

Windows and Ventilation

Close your windows during the hottest parts of the day. If your thermal envelope is sound, your house should remain cool.

Close your windows in the wee hours of the morning. Once warm air from the outside starts creeping in, your air conditioner will have to work harder.

On humid days, keep your windows closed. Give your air conditioner a break by keeping humid air out of your house.

Fans and Ventilation

Use a fan to blow air from the cool side of the house to the hot side.

If the air is cooler on the outside of the house, put a fan in the window to blow the cold air in.

If you the air outside is hotter, then shut the window and point the fan at yourself.

Fans make people more comfortable by moving air. They don't actually decrease heat. (They can move cold air to a place filled with hot air.) Turn off your fan when you leave a room, unless it?s pulling in the colder, outdoor air.

Attics and Ventilation

Your attic can reach temperatures of 150 degrees Fahrenheit and can increase the overall temperature of your home. You'll want to make sure that your attic has proper ventilation.

Insulate the areas between your attic and your living space.

Natural Ventilation Tips

From Iowa State University's Energy Home Series:

Wind creates areas of positive and negative pressure around your house, so the windows near upwind areas will be cool air inlets and the windows near suction areas will be warm air outlets. Try a few tests to find out which windows to open to maximize natural ventilation. Don't locate inlets and outlets directly opposite each other, because the only area that will be cooled will be in the direct path of the airflow. If the air has to take a longer path between an inlet and an outlet, more of your house will be cooled. Additionally, a slightly opened window will create a better air current than a fully opened one.

[i] Source: Iowa State University