Last summer we only turned on the air conditioner three times for a couple of hours in total. The reason was to remove humidity in the house. Otherwise keeping our house cool was pretty simple. The reason is the large oak trees we have on the east side of home shading the early morning sun from heating the house at the start of a hot summer day.
Our house us a 1100 sq.ft. ranch with a full southern exposure at the back of the house. To prevent heating in the afternoon I keep the shades down, windows closed and block the sun on the south side and open the northern windows for a cooling breeze. By the time the sun hits the west side we are shaded by the garage.
Trees are amazing at keeping the home cool. I first noticed this in a poorly insulated rented apartment we had years ago. There was a large apple tree that shaded the western side, and because the apartment didn't heat-up early in the day the apartment was comfortable and cozy. We didn't have air conditioning and didn't notice until the landlady cut down the aging tree. The next summer we sweltered.
Plant a tree.
Don't believe me... read on
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