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[Bird of Prey]

Keeping your Cool when it's Hot and Humid



Ok, maybe cool isn't the right word, but you certainly don't
have to be completely miserable during the hot, humid dog days
of summer. After all Air Conditioning for residential use didn't
exist before WWII and folks were moving to Florida (where hot
and humid are the natural order) in droves long before then. So
how did they (and many current residents) tolerate the
conditions without AC? If you get a chance to look at how and
where homes were built in "Old Florida", you'll notice a number
of common characteristics that lead to more comfortable
accommodations.

First, let's talk about "where" these homes were built.

Many structures can be found near (or even on) the water, often
with little or no obstruction to the breezes coming off of the
water. More often than not the structure will be situated so the
water is to the north of the house. This allows the trees to be
placed to the south and west of the building to block/filter the
blazing summer sun. I've been in homes that were sited like this
and in homes sited exactly opposite of this but with nearly
identical construction. The temperature difference is amazing.

Once the site has been selected and the orientation of the
structure decided, how do we best take advantage of our hard
work so far. Again the old timers may not have had our computer
models and information to draw on but they certainly got it
right. The most comfortable houses all share a number of common
construction elements; a tin (or metal) roof with a moderate to
high pitch, porches on at least the south, west and east walls
(if not all 4 walls), breezeways (hallways that allowed breezes
to travel the entire length and/or width of the structure), and
foundations raised above ground. Also, it was not uncommon for
there to be little or no attic space, all rooms were open to the
underside of the roof. Usually a cupola would be placed at the
roof peak.

So what does this do? It takes full advantage of convection. We
all know that hot air rises. What this structure does is,
provide a funnel that takes in air at the coolest possible
temperature, provides a means of quickly heating that air and
then allows the heated air to escape at the highest point in the
building. In simplest terms these houses create their own
breeze! It is not unusual to have a consistent wind "blowing"
throughout one of these houses. By siting the house to draw in
the coolest available air (from over the water and/or through
the trees), it was often possible to obtain temperatures 3 or 4
degrees lower than the base outside temperature. Couple this
with the 3 to 4 degree "feels like" drop in temperature you get
from moving air (you did read that booklet that came with your
ceiling fan didn't you?) and while it might really be 90 degrees
outside, you might feel like it was only 82!

Now, I realize that for you folks (like me) born after WWII
having become accustomed to AC and the comfortable temperatures
it affords, even the situation described above would be
intolerable. But consider this…

Having built a home without any consideration of the site
benefits or hazards as regards heating and cooling. Having no
porches to shield your 20' high walls from the blazing sun.
Creating an attic space that is better at retaining heat than
the lid of a pressure cooker… Do you really enjoy spending $300
a month to keep you comfortable at 72 degrees?

Just employing some of the techniques used by the old timers
could make it easier for your AC unit to get that temperature
down. And lower your electric bill!

It is possible to build an attractive home and get the best
possible heating and cooling efficiency built into the design.
It is even possible to retrofit existing homes to be more
efficient…and with out spending a boatload of money! I will be
happy to discuss any of these ideas for improving your home
heating/cooling efficiency at any time.




The Bird of Prey
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