These scientific tips will help you survive the summer without air conditioning

With another hot summer ahead, those who can afford to have an air conditioner in their home should keep it running at full capacity. Of course, the daily use of this device will have an impact on energy bills. Having experienced a major heat wave in the summer of 2021, American researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of some passive air conditioning techniques.

A sustainable alternative to air conditioners

As a reminder, temperatures approached 47°C in the state of Oregon last year. To combat these heatwaves, which are likely to increase in the future due to global warming, scientists have been working on several methods of keeping your home cool without using an air conditioner. In the end, passive air-conditioning techniques seem to be just as effective as air-conditioners, and above all much less polluting.

According to the results of research carried out at the University of Oregon, which was reported by the Futura Sciences website on Sunday, July 3 2022, you only need to open the windows at night to keep your house cool. At the same time, you should also close the shutters at the sunniest times of the day.

Thanks to these two well-known techniques, scientists have shown that the temperature can remain at an acceptable level, at least during the first three days of a strong heatwave.

Exterior shutters more efficient than interior curtains

In addition, researchers at the University of Oregon reported that the use of exterior shutters was more efficient in cooling than interior curtains. In fact, shutters on the outside of homes are particularly useful when the sun is beating down on windows, but also when those same windows are opened at night, or early in the morning, to let in cooler air.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

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