Designing your home goes beyond pure decoration and smart appliances. Home design should ensure maximum safety and comfort. This is why people looking to design a home for a hot climate should search for the best modern-day options. Builders and buyers alike should point their attention to tactics that make and keep the home cool and ventilated. And not only for health reasons. Homeowners can make great savings if their home in a hot climate is energy-efficient.
Which strategies are perfect for homes in a hot climate?
Designing a home demands not only time but expertise. Experienced professionals will take into account all the requirements, including the climate where the home is located. A hot climate is a challenging adversary. Architects designing the home will need to focus their attention to:
- Choosing the right building materials
- Disposition and type of windows
- Placement of appliances
- Reducing humidity
- Home orientation
- Landscaping
- Ventilation
- Insulation
- Roof
You can reduce the need for artificial cooling if you apply smart building techniques. It will reduce your electricity bills long-term and guarantee you a comfortable living. Just make sure you avoid decorating mistakes when the building phase is done and you can enjoy your new home.
Heavy and thick building materials serve as an insulation
If you have ever visited places in very hot or very cold climates you must have noticed old buildings with heavy stone walls. That was the best insulation the people could find then. Today, nothing has changed in essence. The building materials used in hot climates still need to keep the interior cool during the day.
The right disposition and type of windows used are key
Minimizing solar heat gain is crucial if you wish to design your home for a hot climate. This heat gain is the largest for windows placed on the east and west walls. Almost five times as much compared to the north-facing windows and three times when compared to the south-facing windows. While the amount of sunlight between the east and west side is about the same, the west side of the home receives it during the hottest time of the day.
Placement of household appliances impacts the indoor temperature
You have probably already noticed how air gets warmer in rooms with numerous electrical appliances and incandescent lighting. They give off heat and should be placed tactically around the house. Once you find the right ENERGY STAR rated appliances, you can hire Four Winds SA movers to bring them to your new home. Moreover, invest in modern LED lighting to reduce unwanted indoor heat.
If you design a home for the hot climate, insulation is inevitable
Insulation is, perhaps, the most important point in designing the home regardless of the climate. Heat gain doesn’t warm the house through the windows only but the poorly isolated walls and roof, as well. Proper insulation will reject exterior heat and thus reduce airconditioning bills. Climate-specific home design goes hand in hand with high-quality insulation which is heat-reflective.
Ventilation and airflow are vital for indoor temperature control
With smart building tactics, you can create airflow in your home without using artificial cooling devices. An open floor plan gives the best results. There are two ways to capitalize on airflow: via horizontal ventilation or through the stack effect. The first option assumes two equally sized windows on opposite sides of the house. The airflow has a cooling effect even though it may not be cool, due to evaporation from the body. Stack effect occurs when the lighter warm air is sucked out through the roof drawing the cool air from the bottom.
Reducing humidity is key if you wish to design a home for hot climate
More often than not, heat goes hand in hand with high humidity. This is often true for seaside areas. These areas are also the most attractive ones for the real estate industry. Take for instance Saudi Arabia, which is experiencing a boom in new construction. Include humidity-reducing measures before relocation to your brand new home in Jeddah, the city on the Red Sea. Removing moisture from the house is vital for homes built in a hot and humid climate. Otherwise, it will cause the growth of mold and mildew.
Home orientation and design can greatly influence the indoor temperature
In hot climates, it is important to orient the house so it receives the least sunlight from the east or west. Thick walls serve as a buffer, while a compact building style works best for the homes in hot areas. Building shaded porches or any other shaded open areas greatly helps reduce the outdoor temperature, and consequently, the indoor temperature. Those who design home for hot climate need to make sure the home is tightly sealed. Adequate insulation, effective air-conditioning, humidity control as well as energy-efficient windows and doors greatly complement the right orientation of the home.
Landscaping keeps the outside cool
Another great asset that reduces the outdoor temperature and shades the home in a hot climate is the trees and shrubbery placed at strategic points. If you’re buying an existing home choose a reliable real estate agent to help you out. They should know the local market well and select a home that has sufficient greenery to fend off the sun at the hottest time of the day. Moreover, don’t forget to shade the paving around the house, because it irradiates heat absorbed from the sun.
A roof plays an important role and shouldn’t be overlooked
Roofs are most often overlooked when people design their home for a hot climate. High solar reflectance and high emissivity are the traits homeowners should look for in roofs. Metal roofs painted in light color have optimal performance in hot climates. Their high emissivity is responsible for more rapid heat release at night when the air is cooler.
