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Summer is Here - How to Cool Your House Down
- Bill Zhao
- Nov 26
- 3 min read
With the last decade seeing some of the hottest years in New Zealand, and the trend expected only to intensify, more and more kiwis are turning towards air conditioning – and for good reason. These sweltering summers are only getting worse and with tightened budgets, many homeowners are feeling the strain when it comes to keeping the AC on. Whether you’re living in the upper floor of a townhouse or in the sun-soaked countryside, find out some of the best ways to chill down over the coming months.
Tackling Solar Gain
The foremost culprit behind most of New Zealand’s hotbox homes, solar gain is when your home absorbs the sun’s radiation, raising its temperature. This causes frustratingly hot interiors by heating up surfaces, which then release heat inside that can’t easily escape. To mitigate this, consider putting up an external shade, such as an awning. Your window glass also plays an important role. Low-e coated glass, for example, reduces heat transfer, which means warmer winters and cooler summers. Performing window and insulation checks can help mitigate solar gain.
Opening Windows
Flushing away warm air is always a viable choice, unless the outside temperature is hotter than indoors. Not only does opening windows allow for cooler air to enter, the breeze can also be relieving on the skin and can resemble a gentler form of air conditioning. Consider leaving the windows open and unobstructed for longer at night. During the day, you can position shades to block out the sun while still allowing ventilation.
Evaporative Cooling
Putting a damp cloth over a fan can have quite a cooling effect. By pulling warm dry air through soaked pads, the heat is absorbed and converted into vapor, lowering the air temperature over time. This can be a cheap and effective method to cooling your home in a dry heat. Some caveats to consider is that this won’t be effective on humid days, and its duration & range are limited. Alternatively, you could purchase a built-for-purpose evaporative cooler. These are often inexpensive and can be topped up with water.
Self-Cooling
Cooling down your body can not only provide an immediate reprieve from the heat, but also make your hot home a bit more bearable. A cold compress such as a chilled towel can be very effective in cooling you down. The hard part is having cold water on hand. Reusable ice bricks can rapidly cool water for use in spray bottles, towels, and evaporative coolers. Moisturising both yourself and the air helps with evaporative cooling, and having chilled water ready is an important part of both immediate and long-term relief.
Air Conditioning
The real elephant in the room: whether or not to turn on your AC unit. With seasonal bills and summer expenses all lying in wait, cost-saving is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Air conditioning provides rapid, large-scale cooling at the cost of a heftier energy bill. Notably, it removes excess humidity, which reduces mould growth. While it is doubtlessly a comfortable option for hot days, its cost and effectiveness depend on the size of the room. An air conditioner provides another option for cooling, arguably the most effective one. If the other options are insufficient or impractical, relying on your AC is nonetheless viable.
Since evaporative cooling is more effective on dry days, and AC units are effective on humid days, alternating cooling methods depending on the humidity can be a great way of diversifying room cooling while also saving money. Careful positioning of curtains and sun-exposed surfaces can also make a difference. Finally, it’s also prudent to keep ready pre-chilled water, or at least the means of making it.
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