How do you keep your bedrooms cool (if indeed you do!)

[dpmiller]

8 hours ago, patp said:

 

I am even considering getting a guarding breed of dog that can sleep in the bedroom with us so that I feel safe sleeping with the windows open!

 

where do you live- Beiruit? The Bronx?

[Coanda]

10 hours ago, patp said:

 

 

I am even considering getting a guarding breed of dog that can sleep in the bedroom with us so that I feel safe sleeping with the windows open!

I wouldn't recommend it.

I had a large GSD which was mostly a yard dog when not competing.

A few years back during a heavy frost SWMBO decided to bring him into the house, "Poor thing is cold" she said.

 

Bed time came and she decided it was still too cold for him to go outside, and the cat claims the living room, so he was permitted to sleep on the bedroom floor.

 

He never settled all night, sniffing snorting, farting , moving back and forth.

 

I said to her in the morning, "We won't be doing that again", she didn't disagree.

[joth]

(I haven't read every comment as they got a bit duplicative, but I have some points didn't see mentioned)

 

Our main bedroom overheats badly, even in winter. (Passiv retrofit, 25khw/m2/year heat requirement). Unaddressed it easily hits 25 deg C. We'd be happy to have 20deg same as the rest of the house really.

 

We don't open the window as trainline right outside it. (Indeed, we partly went for a passivhaus with triple glazing and thick walls on basis of the sound reductions).

We don't open the door as don't like the cats strolling over my nose.

It has an MVHR supply vent (and extract in the ensuite) but this makes very little difference, on boost+bypass vs off altogether.

 

after a 2 years I have it a very pleasant stable temp. measures taken:

- automatic shading

- ducted fan coil in the loft supplies active cooling in the summer (ASHP set to cooling mode, running in Octopus Go cheap rate)

- the same fan coil air inlet is fed from an electric duct damper that redirects air to draw from a spare room in winter. By happenstance that room is always 2-4 deg cooler than the rest of the house, so cycling this air through supplies most of the cooling needed

- bonus: when the ASHP is in freeze protect mode, it circulates the water to keep the outside pipes warm which also brings an amount of cool water into the circuit, which is also routed through the FCU for a bit more cooling power. (Providing free freeze-protect for the ASHP or free cooling for the bedroom, depending which way you look at it)

 

If doing it again, I'd consider

- higher / vaulted ceilings in the main bedroom, to reduce the time it takes the room to heat up. 

- providing dedicated circulation duct between the bedroom and hallway (which has a stack venting skylight)

- provide a more enclosed cat area downstairs, keep them out of upstairs overnight

- live somewhere quieter; have an automatic skylight or other stack vent option in the bedroom

 

[jack]

If you like your bedroom that cool, I don't see any way around having active cooling of some sort. Personally, I'd just plan for a small air conditioner for use in summer. Solar shading (ideally external) makes a massive difference to the energy that will be required to keep things cool.

 

Also, if you like the windows open, consider planning for retractable insect screens at the design stage. We can't have windows open overnight at ours because of insects, and retrofittng screens is going to be quite difficult.

 

If you have a central area where you can put an opening roof window, you can get some good stack ventilation going too. We'd planned for that, but the insects have made it difficult.

 

Our solution to the heat is a small pedestal fan. Works fine (basically just directed at me, as my wife doesn't mind sleeping in a warm room).

[MarkyG82]

This is something I am struggling to get through to MrsG.  I am also generally struggling with design points one being semi-related.  Should I have a duct point on the landing?  If so should it be in or out?  We have 4 beds, a bathroom and an ensuite.  Was planning one supply for each bedroom and one extract for each bathroom.  Then maybe another extract on the landing as its a tall space that would collect heat.  My theory is that it will take that heat and move it to a useable space in the house.  Should also reduce the heat upstairs and help with the room comfort at night.

[jack]

On 14/12/2023 at 11:59, MarkyG82 said:

This is something I am struggling to get through to MrsG.  I am also generally struggling with design points one being semi-related.  Should I have a duct point on the landing?  If so should it be in or out?  We have 4 beds, a bathroom and an ensuite.  Was planning one supply for each bedroom and one extract for each bathroom.  Then maybe another extract on the landing as its a tall space that would collect heat.  My theory is that it will take that heat and move it to a useable space in the house.  Should also reduce the heat upstairs and help with the room comfort at night.

 

One extract will move very little air and make little difference to temperatures locally, let alone to the whole house.

 

If you don't want air conditioning,  think it's better to have insect screens and open the upstairs windows as soon as the temperature outside is below the upstairs temperature.

[DaveS]

I'll be in the position soon where I'll be having all the house renovated and then super insulated, having UFH, heat pump, mechanical ventilation etc.

 

My plans for the hot summer days will extend to having external shutters on the windows to block out the sun. The house takes the full blast off the sun from lunchtime until sunset. Ceiling fans to give a cooling effect, then also to have air conditioning fitted as a last resort to use.

[Andehh]

Honestly, just install Air Con! We did and I love it.

 

Extra burst of heat in the winter should it be required, and then instant full cooling for the summer heat waves. Also ensure you have it for the home office /study!

 

For the sake of a few grand... No brainier.

[joth]

On 15/12/2023 at 18:15, jack said:

 

One extract will move very little air and make little difference to temperatures locally, let alone to the whole house.

 

If you don't want air conditioning,  think it's better to have insect screens and open the upstairs windows as soon as the temperature outside is below the upstairs temperature.

Yes mvhr is basically useless for managing overheating.

You can circulate air between rooms/thoroughfares like I do to manage it to some degree, but this is a much higher volume of air movement. At least 10x or more than an mvhr moves. 

Or just jump straight to a/c, but that does feel silly to use for cooling in winter when the rest of the house is requiring heating, hence my more complex hybrid approach 

 

 

[jack]

3 hours ago, joth said:

Or just jump straight to a/c, but that does feel silly to use for cooling in winter when the rest of the house is requiring heating

 

I've always thought it's a shame you can't (practically) take the heat rejected/absorbed by a heat pump and use it for other things.

 

Eg, use the cool air from heating/DHW production and use it for refrigeration, or the hot air from cooling and use it to preheat incoming water before it enters the DHW system.

 

Same with warm/cold water going down the drain. I know there are waste water heat recovery systems, but I'm more talking about using waste water as a heat source/sink more generally.

 

All possible in principle, but the reality is a little bleaker!

[SteamyTea]

5 hours ago, jack said:

I've always thought it's a shame you can't (practically) take the heat rejected/absorbed by a heat pump and use it for other things.

You may be able to run an evaporator chiller off it.

 

Can the Ecocent type water heaters cool a house?

[Jilly]

Back to the patio door ventilation question, is there a way to securely partly open a French door as Pat asked? The Spanish grille thing seems a bit drastic. There are little wires for Juliet balconies and other things, but they don't look like they would stand up to a crow bar.

[JohnMo]

Yale do a door slightly open lock you can add.

 

48 minutes ago, Jilly said:

don't look like they would stand up to a crow bar.

No door will really stand up to a crow bar. If it's a glazed door an automatic centre punch the glass and just walk in.