Keeping your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter isn’t easy, particularly when you’re also trying to save energy. There are a number of factors that can affect your home’s temperature, including the house materials it’s made from. Which house materials can keep your home cool and which ones keep it warm?
House Materials for Summer
The summer heat in Yuma can get unbearable. If you want to keep your house cool, your best building materials are going to be stone, brick, or concrete. Their density gives them a high thermal mass, which means they absorb heat, though very slowly.
Therefore, as the sun shines down on your house throughout the day, the outside gets hot while the inside stays cool. By the time the heat reaches the inside of your home, the sun is usually going down, allowing your home to remain warm at night.
House Materials for Winter
One material that will help keep your house warm is glass. It lets the sunlight in, heating up your home. In summer, this can cause your house to get too hot, driving up your cooling bills. Therefore, if you have big windows, it’s best to draw the shades during the late morning and early afternoon to reduce the amount of sunlight your home gets.
However, in the winter, those glass windows can help keep you warm. The direct sunlight will warm up your house quickly, reducing the need for your furnace. Planting deciduous trees near windows that get direct sunlight can help as well. They provide shade in the summer but shed their leaves in winter to let the sun in.
Insulation
None of the aforementioned house materials is a substitute for proper insulation throughout your home. It slows the flow of heat, keeping it from escaping in winter and keeping it from getting in during the summer. Make sure your home is properly insulated for maximum home comfort.
To learn more about how your house materials can impact your HVAC system, contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We proudly serve Yuma’s home-comfort needs.
