7 Comments

1. 
   user-4524083 | Aug 12, 2016 06:59pm | #1

   Cooling
   Martin - In an even moderately insulated and sealed home, closing the windows and doors mid morning, and opening them up in the early evening, when the temp. inside exceeds the temp. outside, is an easy and very effective strategy. Of course, I live in Maine where we can, usually, depend on lower evening temps., in the lo 70's or 60's. Thanks for the article.

2. Expert Member
   MALCOLM TAYLOR | Aug 13, 2016 12:04am | #2

   Basements
   I'm lucky to live in a climate where after even the hottest days there is a cool evening breeze, but I remember growing up in Montreal that we used to retreat to the basement when the heat became unbearable. Is there a simple effective way to move this cool air to the rest of the house, or is that even something worth considering?

3. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Aug 13, 2016 06:03am | #3

   Response to Kevin and Malcolm
   Kevin and Malcolm,
   Like both of you, I live in a climate where air conditioning is unnecessary. For most of the summer, our windows stay open. On hot days, it is indeed sometimes helpful to close windows from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

   The tips in this article are for homes with air conditioning, not homes without air conditioning.

   In a house without air conditioning, if the upper floors are at 80°F, and the basement is at 65°F, then it can certainly be refreshing to hang out in the basement. I've never heard of anyone attempting to use a fan and a duct to circulate air from a cool basement to a hot living room. It might work; however, it's hard to cool an 80°F room with 65°F air.

4. 
   charlie_sullivan | Aug 13, 2016 09:31am | #4

   Basement cooling
   In humid climates, trying to cool the upstairs with coolth from the basement means sending hot humid air from upstairs, or from outside, into the basement. The result is increased humidity in the basement. It's sort of like trying to use the basement as an earth tube.

5. 
   user-1119494 | Aug 14, 2016 03:14am | #5

   basement cooling = mold
   The classic basement in the NE USA seems to smell moldy... using it as an earth tube will usually make things far worse. And I've seen puddles form on the floor in walk-outs where the owner allowed a breeze to flow through a walk-out in an attempt to fix the smell...

6. 
   heidner | Aug 17, 2016 02:04pm | #6

   basement cooling: check radon
   If you are moving basement air to cool the rest of the house, it's also a good idea to check for radon levels before implementing such technique. It's the basement where radon is generally the highest.

7. 
   user-5283384 | Aug 31, 2016 09:07pm | #7

   Basement cooling
   I tend to have a very cool basement, in part due to the installation of a heat-pump water heater. The unit literally exhausts air conditioning. I've thought of pumping that air into the main floor, but Dennis makes a good point: I need to check for radon first. I live in an area that often has radon problems, so I don't want to exacerbate the issue.

   Thanks for all the good suggestions!