There are tricks and customs that have been passed down from generation to generation to deal with extreme heat, and in some cases they go back hundreds of years. These are the tips and tricks that grandmothers and grandfathers have always applied.
Now, with the return of summer, they are more essential than ever to lower the temperature of our homes by several degrees.
Limit light
The number one trick to reduce temperature is to limit light and, therefore, the heating power of the sun. Lowering the blinds during the hottest hours of the day, putting up the awnings, whoever has them, are routines that have been traditionally followed in a warm climate.
Regulating light to reduce temperature is something that ancient civilizations already used. It is no coincidence that traditional Moroccan houses, the ‘riads’, build the rooms around a patio and without windows. When the temperature rises in summer, this limitation of light entry into the bedrooms allows us to create cooler rooms.
The use of currents
For example, in Spain, especially in the hottest regions, one of the customs is to open windows when evening falls or early in the morning with the aim of creating drafts. In this way, air flows are achieved that carry away the hot air accumulated in the residence and allow the entry of fresh air.
The trick of using currents has multiple examples in traditional cultures, from the Iranian wind catchers – tall chimneys decorated with openings on at least two sides – to the light wells of many traditional Chinese buildings of the 14th century, which allow the entry of fresh air and the exit of hot air.
The use of water and vegetation
Complementary to this tradition of currents, and perhaps less common, is the trick of using a basin of water and ice conveniently placed in front of a fan or an open window. If you also put salt in the basin, we will ensure that the ice melts faster and the air current – whether created artificially or with a window – circulates that colder air throughout the interior of the home.
Along the same lines, another trick that is based on the same effect is to scrub the rooms with cold water first thing in the morning or in the evening or spray the plants we have at home with water. All of them are tricks that help reduce the temperature inside a home.
In the wealthiest Roman houses in regions with warm climates, such as Spain, wells dedicated to storing ice during the summer have been found in some excavations. The ice, which was stored in the patios, was used both for consumption and to cool the houses, with pipes that carried the water that ran down the walls.
The color white
Painting houses white with lime is another traditional solution to reflect sunlight and reduce heat. It is something that is not available to everyone, but another trick that can be used is to remove the winter curtains and replace them with white curtains or fabrics that help reflect the heat out of the home.
Traditional white-painted surfaces reflect sunlight, but they also heat up, explains the World Economic Forum. However, scientists at Purdue University claim to have found a paint that reflects 98.1% of sunlight and cools walls by almost 8ºC. Painted on a 94 square meter roof, the paint produces 10 kW of cooling power, more than many air conditioners.
Source: EUROPA PRESS
