You don’t need an air conditioning system to keep your home cool, researchers show

In the midst of the extreme heat wave that swept across the United States in June 2021, researchers conducted a few experiments. They show that passive air conditioning techniques can be quite sufficient to keep a house cool for several days.

Summer has just started. And we have already had to face an episode of high heat. All the more difficult to bear when the temperature also rises in our homes. The temptation is then great toturn on the air conditioning — for those who have it. But University of Oregon researchers (United States) teaches us today that so-called “passive air conditioning” measures can prove to be just as effective.

What is it about ? Simply open the windows at night and close the shutters during the sunniest times of the day. According to the researchers’ simulations, there would thus be enough to maintain a comfortable temperature at home — understand “out of the danger zone” — at least during the first three days of a heavy vague of heat. All without resorting to artificial air conditioning.

Close shutters and open windows

The researchers worked on data from the extreme heat wave that swept through Oregon in June 2021. Temperatures were then close to 47°C! A deadly episode. Especially in the densest urban areas. Few homes are equipped with air conditioning systems. Because the temperature usually remains livable in the region.

Stay or stay? Because with the global warmingthis kind of heat waves should repeat. The researchers are pleased to have succeeded in proving the benefits of passive air conditioning. More effective when using exterior shutters than closed interior curtains when the Sun tap on the windows and when you open the said windows at night or early in the morning to let in theair the freshest. “We did not expect such efficiency”recognizes Alan Rempel, mathematician, in a statement from the University of Oregon. In any case, with his team, he has just demonstrated that passive air conditioning can advantageously replace energy-intensive air conditioning systems that drive up bills and costs. greenhouse gas emissions.