6 Design Elements to Help Keep Your House Cool in Summer 

1) GIVE YOURSELF SHADE

It may sound simple, but really explore the sun’s position in relation to your home, and plan accordingly.

If the orientation of your house means that you will receive a lot of sun on your bedrooms and living areas, think about incorporating awnings, substantial eaves, a privacy screen or even large, shady trees.

Additions like awnings and planting trees near light-facing windows will help shield your home from the sun’s harsh rays, reducing the amount of heat your home absorbs and making your investment even more worthwhile.

2) CHOOSE SMART ROOFING

When choosing your home’s roofing material, heat resistance comes down to both colour and material.

In terms of colour, a white or lighter colour roof will reflect the heat best.

COLORBOND® steel’s range of thermally efficient light colours can really help to keep your home cool on those hot, sunny days.

In terms of materials, the likes of terracotta tiles on your roof are going to be a product which hold heat (and not reflect it).

Here at Mincove Homes, we favour Colorbond’s Thermatech® technology, which can help make your home more energy efficient.

Every colour (except Night Sky®) in the standard COLORBOND® steel range features Thermatech® solar reflectance technology.

Thermatech® technology is designed to reflect more of the sun’s heat on hot days, which can mean less dependence on air-conditioning, plus reduced heat stress for your roof.

3) STRATEGICALLY POSITION OR GLAZE WINDOWS

When considering the position of your windows – keeping windows on the east and west to a minimum will help reduce the summer heat. 

Also, having a larger window on the side of the house that is down wind (or sheltered from the wind), and a smaller opening on the side facing the wind – will create a cooling pressure current, increasing the breezes that flow through your home. 

This happens as the breeze in homes is generally sucked towards the area of lower pressure.

Alternatively, you could use glazing with a low solar-heat gain coefficient (SHGC), particularly if your windows are large. These windows use toned glass or tinted films to reduce the amount of solar heat transmitted through them.

Insulated window films are a smart purchase as they work similarly to blinds, without the need for maintenance.

4) CHOOSE OPEN PLAN LIVING

The size of a room definitely matters in terms of temperature and comfort.

If you can open up areas in your house to increase the internal volume, this will help disperse the hot air throughout – whereas a small room will heat up quickly unless the heat can be released. 

Here at Mincove Homes, we pride ourselves on our extensive range of beautiful open plan floor plan designs.

Take a look at our vast range of home designs and floor plans here.

5) CREATE THERMAL MASS

Thermal mass in a house is made up of heavy weight materials such as bricks, concrete, stone or tiles. 

This thermal mass can provide thermal efficiency by helping to store heat during the hottest part of the day, and help keep the indoor air temperature lower. 

At night time, when air temperatures drop, this heat will be released from the thermal mass and can be exhausted from the house through high windows or night time cooling.

Here at Mincove Homes we love working with natural and raw materials, which look great and hold this nifty function!

Take a look at some of our facade design options that feature the use of natural materials such as our Rustic and Urban facades.

6) ENSURE YOUR HOME HAS INSULATION

Insulation is a thermal barrier, making it an extremely energy-efficient way to keep your home cool in Summer and warm in Winter.

Just like wearing a coat keeps you warm because it prevents your body heat from dissipating – insulation creates a barrier to heat gain and loss in your ceilings, roofs, floors, and walls.

Heat always moves toward cold, not the other way around. This means if you run the air conditioner to keep your home cool in the summer, insulation helps keep hot air from making its way inside.

Insulation is extremely beneficial in new homes as it is a cost-effective and practical way to keep your home cool in Summer and warm in Winter – by reducing your energy consumption and therefore cutting your heating and cooling bills!

Insulation may also reduce condensation, decreasing your chances of damp and mould.

Give our friendly and experienced New Homes Consultants a call today on (02) 4256 0222, to find out more about how we can help you to design a thermally efficient home that will help keep you and your family cool in Summer.