Air conditioners are necessary especially for elderly or sick people. But the development of air conditioning poses problems. These are appliances that consume energy and we come to fear consumption peaks in summer, such as those that can be experienced in winter, at 7 p.m., when it is very cold and everyone everyone is coming home. The risk is all the greater as these devices can be used in excess.
Air conditioning is, moreover, often seen as the only solution when there are plenty of others and they should be explored first, to avoid or limit the use of air conditioning. The objective is twofold: it is necessary to limit the heating of the dwelling during the day and to facilitate its cooling at night.
To prevent it from heating up, you must protect yourself from the sun’s rays. In other words, shade with trees, a pergola, shutters, blinds, a reed on a balcony… Awnings, i.e. roof overhangs, can also be very effective for break the rays of the sun subject to being well sized.
This also involves the insulation of the house and the choice of materials. Stone walls protect better than a wooden frame alone. It is particularly necessary to take care of the insulation of the roof, with wood fibers or cellulose wadding which let the heat pass less quickly. Beware, too, of roof windows which can heat up the attic and which it is in your interest to equip with blinds.
The other purpose is to cool down at night. How ? Mainly by ventilating. Openings in the roof are particularly essential so that the hot air is sucked out.
Finally, provided that you do not live in an urban heat island, cities also have their role to play in contributing to general cooling. Finally, it is possible to play on evaporation, by watering a terrace, putting wet linen in front of a window or using an air freshener.