It is currently summer in India.
Are there any behavioural or infra modifications that would help handle the increased heat?
I have read about how white roofs would reduce heat absorption and energy needed for cooling
Are there other things like that? Especially ones that regular people can try? The other type(policy decision type) are ok too tho. Would be good to know them.
Also, are there any communities that would have discussions on such topics? Like a TIL or DIY community where people talked about general issues and solutions.
Is it this community?
Take an undershirt you’re not wearing, get it soaking wet, drape it around your neck
Not sure how your buildings are built over there so this may not apply. But an exhaust fan for the space between the ceiling and roof does wonders to cool a house after a hot day. Those attic spaces get crazy hot and hold the heat well after the sun sets and it keeps your house hotter longer. This won’t necessarily help with mid day heat, but help cool the living space as the sun goes down.
Central air conditioning all summer long.
But before I had AC, on hot nights I’d put a cold damp rag on my feet to fall asleep easier and that really worked. I’d also put a box fan in one of my windows pointed outside, and I’d also open a window in another room so that outside air would be sucked in through my home.
I learned to be cool in hot temperature by being still, in the shade, with a breeze, it’s very hot and humid here but also windy usually.
Trees help so much. It is noticeably cooler at the park than in the city.
In the house when there is not air conditioning, roofed porches and opening the windows with fans pulling air through the house helps.
I handled the heat by moving from Northern Australia to Tasmania.
There must me much cooler places in India?
Chimney. If you have a chimney, open it.
Any air passing above will create a suction effect below and suck all the hot air out of the room.
I feel like there aren’t a lot of chimneys in India, but I don’t have the wherewithal to defend my assertion.
stay right there, I’m going to visit you and I’m bringing a camera to disprove your LIES!
(then we can play mario kart or something, whatever I’m easy)Double Dash?
No, no, I’m married.
Didn’t know it could be used like that. There are many Mario Kart games, like Double Dash and then the less important ones.
Bucket of cold water, stick your feet into it.
Tin foil in the windows to reflect radiation.
Cold tap over inside of forearms and wrists (iirc ears work well too, but of course a more awkward reach if you’re just using a bathroom tap).
There is research that shows that white coloured roofing causes increased heating elsewhere, so it’s not a fix-all solution.
I live in Australia and during summer use a lawn sprinkler on the roof. Using a tap timer, it runs for 10 to 30 seconds every 10 minutes.
Just enough to wet the roof, so that the water evaporates and cools it down.
Other things you can do is growing creeper vines over a wall where the sun hits in the afternoon to keep direct sunlight off the wall.
If you have sash windows, you can open it at the top and bottom, creating a thermal airflow that will cool the house.
Adding sunshades and building housing with awnings makes a massive difference.
Lots of research associated with passive solar temperature regulation.
Thank you.
There is research that shows that white coloured roofing causes increased heating elsewhere, so it’s not a fix-all solution.
Is it that the roof would reflect it back to the sky and heat the air, intensifying the greenhouse effect or so?
Would it be better overall than homes heating up and even more energy and heat used to cool it? Or would it that be worse off?Lots of research associated with passive solar temperature regulation.
Cool. Are there any sources that share info on the ones that would be useful and available/suitable for regular use?
Thank you
Plants and trees
drink water, loads of it; if you have to go out, always keep a bottle at hand. wear less clothes and keep your house fresh and ventilated, open all windows if possible. buy a/c for your bedrooms but use them just in the night, when you have to sleep. use fans where you have to work or stay during the day. to cope with the higher electric bill, consider installing solar panels on your roof, or a small wind turbine.
If it’s not overly humid, evaporative air conditioners are a cheap to run way to keep cool. The personal units (Convair Classic etc) are typically about 50 to 80 watts, so a single solar panel, battery and inverter should guarantee safe, grid free cooling for one or two people.
I think humidity in India is generally rather high?
Thank you.
I’m in Kerala. We do have decent humidity in most areas here.
If you’re open to it, please consider an AMA or a write-up on Kerala on Hexbear.
I’m sure people would love to hear about the political situation and life there!
These might be worth trying, I don’t know.
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/g44762001/best-wearable-neck-air-conditioners/
my broke ass method on dealing with high temp + high humidity is 2 fans, 1 for me and 1 pointing outside (either the door or window, maybe around an elbow length)
On top of white paint, if it’s legal, try putting up some camo netting above the roof to provide shade on top of the reflectiveness of the white paint. Shades over windows.
My English isn’t Englishing atm, bear with me. Heat island effect is caused (amongst other things) due to sealed ground. So replacing asfalt roads, and even brick sealings with green space or even better water, should help regulate temperature. On top of this, instead of white roofs, green roofs are also a good option
Thank you.
We generally have sloped roofs for our homes because of our rainy season. Would green roofs work well there?
Yes, I think it would! Not an expert though, but logically I think that should work! Depends on the angle, though, of course
Reflectrix on the inside/underside of the roof.
- It’s a cheap material.
- It’s quick to install.
Besides that, better insulation and the use of high efficiency heat pumps.
It might be easier near the coast, but opening up windows during times of day where you can catch a breeze might help with the heat the house soaks up. Insect netting on windows may make this a more tolerable option.
Beyond this, the high ceilings in older style homes seemed to make things feel cooler, but I can’t really confirm that. A lot of design aspects of older homes were meant to deal with heat, so it might not be trendy but works. I’ve seen one place with a sizeable indoor pond/pool in the middle of the ground floor, supposedly inspired by courtyard transpiration. The guy was an odd engineer… no idea about longevity but it did stay cool in that place.
Plants to cut down on sunlight while giving you something nice to look at seems good. Maybe planters for vegetables etc on a flat roof if it’s possible.
Thank you.
