Australians love our air conditioners. They keep our homes cool and comfortable during the long, hot summers. But unless your home is equipped with a roof full of solar panels, rising energy costs mean it’s becoming harder and harder to justify the price of that cool breeze.

Luckily there are cost-effective ways to cool your home. Simply by using the natural structures and features of your house or apartment, you can minimise the heat getting into your home, which makes it a LOT easier to cool. Plus, there are considerable environmental benefits to be had as well – it’s a win-win. 

Are you about to embark on a building or renovating project? Now is the time to think about the structural elements and building materials that will keep your home as cool as possible. You can read more about passive design in our article.

There are also fantastic ways to adapt your exisiting home to help keep it cool, as well as "cool" habits you can adopt in your day-to-day life.

Keeping it cool

When it comes to natural home cooling, prevention is better than cure. So you have to stop your home geting too hot in the first place. Most of the heat that accumulates is from the rays of the sun hitting your roof, windows and walls – so you need to deflect this heat away. But how?

Try these passive cooling idea, either alone or alongside an air conditioner

Roof

Your roof can deflect heat with a reflective coating. Even fibreglass in a light colour will absorb the sun’s energy and heat, but you can reduce heat absorption through applying a light-coloured latex coat over your existing roof material. 

An asphalt, fibreglass and aluminium composite material is another option which can reflect some of the sun’s heat. 

On the underside of your roof, consider a radiant barrier; this foil-like material reduces heat absorption by around 25% but requires an airspace above your ceiling rafters. Some varieties can even act as insulation too – insulating an attic space will help reduce heat gain in upstairs rooms.

Windows

After the roof, your windows are the biggest heat culprit – around 40% of the total heat in fact. The key is to reflect the sun’s rays before they enter your home.

You can use a variety of window films that reflect sunlight, but this may inhibit winter sun from warming your home. We prefer the flexibility of window blinds and awnings that allow you to reduce heat and light inside the home all summer long, and most importantly, stop the hot sun from touching the windows in the first place.

You can find a outdoor blind supplier and installer here. 

One of the best ways to shade windows from the high summer sun is to install awnings above your windows. You can use a calculator to determine the height and depth of the window so as to block out all summer sun, while still allowing the winter sun to penetrate and warm your home. You can find the calculator here.

For more information on shading your home, check out the Your Home website.

Finally, cross ventilation is crucial for cooling a house quickly. Screened doors and windows should be positioned to allow to cross breezes to move around freely.  

Garden 

Trees are another great way to protect your windows from direct sunlight. Choose deciduous trees to allow winter sun to penetrate, while blocking the harsh summer rays.  Ask an advanced tree nursery for the best tree selection for your region.