Cooling your home

Cooling your home becomes relevant in summer, when the temperature indoors rises uncomfortably high. Cooling methods can be divided into measures you can take yourself, such as airing, and those that require outside help, such as installing an air-source heat pump (ilmalämpöpumppu). Cooling the whole house in summer by passive means alone is difficult, and sometimes it may be appropriate to acquire some kind of cooling device. When an energy performance certificate (energiatodistus) is prepared for an old detached house with direct electric heating, the energy certificate assessor often suggests installing an air-source heat pump as an energy efficiency measure. If the house is also hot in summer, it is worth considering an air-source heat pump that offers both cooling and heating. In winter you save on heating costs, and in summer you can make your home cooler at low cost.

How can I cool my home myself?

When it is hotter inside than outside, you can create a cross-draught by opening at least two windows on different sides of your home. If, on the other hand, the indoor temperature is lower than outside, a draught through the home can only make things worse. Cooling methods you can use yourself:

• Close the Venetian blinds. Close them so that they let as little solar radiation as possible into the rooms.
• Draw the curtains. The lighter the curtains, the better they stop the sun’s heat from getting indoors.
• Use household appliances less, as they add to the heat load in your home.
• Air your home at night when the outdoor temperature drops.

Cooling a studio flat

Cooling a studio flat (yksiö) with a cross-draught is difficult. If the stairwell is cool, you can try to get the air moving by opening the letterbox flap in the front door slightly and opening a window. It is particularly worth investing in sun protection and not letting any more solar radiation into the studio than absolutely necessary. The lighter the furnishings in your home, the more heat radiation they reflect away. The same applies to curtains and Venetian blinds. Also note that the further out in the window the blinds are, the more effective they are. If the window is triple-glazed, for example, blinds in the outer gap have a greater effect.

Cooling devices and cooling systems

There are easily movable cooling devices that use heat pump technology. They are cheaper than proper, permanently installed air-source heat pumps. Their drawbacks, however, are that they are often noisier and have a significantly lower cooling capacity. Because both the evaporator and the condenser in these devices are located inside the same casing, the hot exhaust air has to be led out of the window through a hose.

Significant cooling is achieved with permanently installed air-source heat pumps, in which the indoor unit is mounted on a wall inside the flat and the outdoor unit outside on the balcony or the façade. Cooling capacities vary between manufacturers and models, so it is worth checking in advance that the chosen product will achieve the desired drop in temperature in your own home. If the outdoor unit is on a glazed balcony, remember to open at least part of the glazing when using the air-source heat pump.