Re: Beat the heat - suggestions required Best way to beat the heat is to let it out naturally and help the cool air circulate in. Basically, give the natural convection an unobstructed pathway. But this has to be done while planning the home itself. And this was how people from earlier centuries were able to manage in hot tropical climates even without air conditioning.
While my in laws were constructing a first floor over the ground floor, I suggested them to plan with atleast 14ft high ceiling. About 1 ft below the ceiling we have put a ventilator (big one, of size 1ftx2ft). And there was a window right below the ventilator. At their place, the usual summer temperatures are 40C day time and 26-28 night time. While daytime the terrace gets hot and radiates heat inside, by night ambient temperature cools down. Hot air inside room rises up and exits via ventilator while fresh cooler air comes in through the window. Ceiling fan is about 2ft below ceiling ( lower than ventilator). So, in one of the rooms we added an exhaust fan to the ventilator to push out hot air faster( then,we didn't know how much it would help, so did that arrangement in just one room). In practice, this room with exhaust fan in the ventilator cools faster than other rooms without it. Also, the main hall had false ceiling, so no ventilator. That hall is cooler than other rooms without false ceiling during day time but at nights the rooms with ventilator cool down faster and are more pleasant than the hall. Ofcourse, for further comfort one can use coolers or air conditioning but I personally didn't find it necessary there even during peak summer.
The apartment culture has basically done away with high ceiling and ventilators and thus blocking natural convection which inturn forces us to depend on coolers or air conditioning to beat the heat. But if someone has an option to add these to their home during construction itself, it is the best way to beat the heat. |