Topic

Summer comfort

The enclosure that keeps winter heat in also keeps in summer heat from the sun, people, and appliances, so PHI checks summer separately. Without active cooling, the rooms may run above 77 °F (25 °C) for no more than 10% of the hours in a year, about 876 hours; PHI recommends under 5%. Humidity is limited too: damp air feels clammy even when it's cool, and at cool surfaces it feeds mold. Where there is cooling, it must be sized to control both.

Passive measures come before equipment. First, shade the glass from outside: exterior shading can stop 80% or more of the sun's heat; the best interior blind stops 40% at most, because that heat is already in the room. East and west windows are hardest, since low morning and evening sun gets under any overhang, so you may consider movable shades or less glass. Second, cut indoor heat with efficient lights and appliances and insulated hot-water pipes. Third, flush heat out at night through open windows, helped by the ventilation unit's summer bypass.

In a cool-temperate climate like Central Europe's, shading and night air are usually enough. In hot, humid climates, night air brings moisture in, so a small heat pump cools and dehumidifies, and PHI limits the energy it can use.

What residents do matters more in summer than in winter. In winter the building largely runs itself; in summer, someone should lower the shades and, if relying on natural ventilation, open the windows at the right times. In a building without active cooling, PHI asks for a written summer comfort strategy, signed by the owner, and for the occupants to be shown how to use it.

Training on this topic

Filters (1)

I am A designer or consultant 14 A builder or tradesperson 2 An owner or developer 4 A policymaker or advocate 2

Kind Certification courses 0 Specialized courses 0 Paid sessions 3 Free sessions 11

Building type Single-family 2 Multifamily 1 Non-residential 1

Format On-demand 14 Live online 0 In person 0

Special 2026 Conference 1

Credit AIA LU 3 PHI credit 3 Counts toward CPHD/C renewal 3 Counts toward CPHT renewal 3

Clear all

14 courses and sessions

Paid sessions 3

Free sessions 11

Writing on summer comfort 2

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