Here in Queensland, we are no strangers to extremes when it comes to weather conditions. Ranging from exhaustingly hot, humid days to the cold chills of winter, it can certainly play a large role in a how comfortable our living conditions can be. One way you can make your comfort of living more consistent throughout the changing seasons is to weatherproof your home. Along with making living conditions better, it will also help reduce the cost of your energy consumption.
Sealing
The simple act of sealing up your home helps stop unnecessary draughts. These draughts can attribute to 25% of heat loss or gain to your home. Better yet, sealing up these certain areas in your home will not prevent flow-through during the summer. In essence, sealing focuses on fixing up air leaks that are noticeable during the cooler months. Areas to seal up could include:
- Openings of pipes and chimneys
- Air leaks that can exist in floor edging and around door frames
- Check your windows to see if there are any areas where the air is creeping through, in particular around the framing
- Cracks and holes in your house’s foundations could be a source for air leaks
- Also, fill in gaps that exist between floorboards where air can creep through
Shade
Creating shade is a good way to combat the heat of the summer months, adding shade around the home will also assist in reducing your energy consumption. Keeping the direct sunlight off walls and windows will stop heat entry, ensuring your air conditioners aren’t working overtime to keep temperatures cooler for your home. This can be achieved in three ways: shaded glass, curtains, and trees and plants.
By having your glass shaded, you can reduce the amount of heat gained in your home from direct sunlight by up to 90%. While this is an ideal solution for the summer, also remember you will need unshaded glass that encourages heat to come into your home during the winter.
Another way to stop the intense heat that can be caused by direct sunlight is to simply use curtains in the rooms which are hit most by the sun during summer. The curtains should be thick as to block the sun more effectively. Remember, though, to keep your curtains open when the sun isn’t directly hitting those rooms. You don’t want your house being dark throughout summer.
Also, invest in trees and plants to help cast shade over your home during the summer months. If you can, ideally invest in deciduous plants in trees as they tend to blossom and dry seasonally. This means they provide shade during the heat and allow the sun to shine through during the cold.
Roof insulation and ventilation
Finally, your roof can play a large role in maintaining temperatures more consistently throughout the year. Your roof will account for up to 60% of the heat that enters or leaves your home. Roof insulation helps stop the cold or heat from becoming too overwhelming. Both in terms of preventing cold or hot air from coming in and preventing nice tepid air from escaping. When installed by a professional, roof insulation poses no dangers whatsoever and is comprised of materials that pose absolutely no harm.
Roof ventilation aims to allow unwanted air not to build in your roof’s void (attic). Rather, the air escapes and maintain more consistent temperatures. Both are great options, with insulation is known to have more effective results.
By employing one or all of these methods, you’ll find that not only will the comfort in your own home notably increase, but the amount spent on running air conditioning and other forms of cooling and heating during the year should be reduced by up to 25%.
