Passive methods of heating and cooling reduce energy use
Summary
- Some minor changes in how we build a dwelling can signifcantly alter the energy costs of controlling its climate
Details
- Painting a roof white or reflective will make a 50% difference in the need for AC
- planting trees around a house creates a better microclimate
- In cool climates, triple glazing will keep a house 4 times warmer than a single pane
References
Quotes
A house framed with 4" × 6" wooden studs (2" × 4" are standard), filled with pink fiberglass, covered on the inside with gypsum sheets (drywall) and on the outside by wooden sheathing and stucco will have an insulation value about four times higher than a more sturdy looking, 10 cm thick, brick and stucco European wall. A tripleglazed window with a low-emittance coating (which keeps ultraviolet radiation inside the house), has an insulating value nearly four times as high as a single pane of glass. In hot climates, where dark roofs may get up to 50 °C warmer than the air temperature, having a highly reflective roof (painted white or made of lightcolored materials), which will be just 10 °C warmer, is the best passive way to reduce the electricity needed for air-conditioning— by as much as fifty per cent. Creating a better microclimate, for example by planting trees around a house (and thus creating evapotranspirative cooling), is another effective way to moderate summer energy needs.