There is a lot of passive system to prevent heat to come in, in the first place.
Brise soleil (sun-breaker) - these systems prevent direct sun to go through the window in summer, but let it in to heat up the habitation in winter.
Trees ! - Trees have a cooling effect in summer and a keep the warmth in winter. They also improve air quality, physical and mental health. Increasing the areas covered by trees in city could bring down there temperature by several degrees.
Yeah, I'm a big believer in shade trees! The one in our front yard has grown tall enough to provide blessed relief from a blazing afternoon sun. The only problem is the dude next door, who's heavy into solar, is worried it'll block his panels. And I'm a believer in solar too, so I don't know what to say. Maybe we can come to some sort of compromise…
proper thermal insulation
what an understatement. it's very unsexy but also incredibly effective. if your house is over 20 years old, you don't need fancy-ass blinds, you need to get your house insulated ASAP. everything else must wait.
insulation is the number one most effective thing anyone can do to improve the energy use of their living space. only when your house is properly insulated can you think of shade management, greenery, passive ventilation, heat pumps, etc. in an insulated house, those either won't work at all or will be wildly inefficient.
I've added it at the end because it seemed obvious to me but yeah, insulation is the first thing to do. Especially under the roof.
There is a lot of passive system to prevent heat to come in, in the first place.
Increasing tree coverage to 30% in European cities could reduce deaths linked to urban heat island effect
Yeah, I'm a big believer in shade trees! The one in our front yard has grown tall enough to provide blessed relief from a blazing afternoon sun. The only problem is the dude next door, who's heavy into solar, is worried it'll block his panels. And I'm a believer in solar too, so I don't know what to say. Maybe we can come to some sort of compromise…
what an understatement. it's very unsexy but also incredibly effective. if your house is over 20 years old, you don't need fancy-ass blinds, you need to get your house insulated ASAP. everything else must wait.
insulation is the number one most effective thing anyone can do to improve the energy use of their living space. only when your house is properly insulated can you think of shade management, greenery, passive ventilation, heat pumps, etc. in an insulated house, those either won't work at all or will be wildly inefficient.
I've added it at the end because it seemed obvious to me but yeah, insulation is the first thing to do. Especially under the roof.