patp Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 We have been in our self build bungalow for a couple of years. We love it - but - we cannot get rid of heat once it builds up. The windows only have the vents and a small amount of opening on the latch to let in a slight draught. this is nowhere near enough to cool a hot bedroom. We are thinking of air conditioning but hate the thought of it for reasons of the environment, noise and our bank balance. My question is - has anyone removed the loft insulation above a hot room? What is the feasibility of doing so? Would it work? An even more drastic solution would be to put in a vaulted ceiling but, I think, that is a step too far. We have tried opening windows first thing in the morning, closing them and then drawing curtains all day to keep the sun out. The bedroom has two large windows facing West and East. Another thought was to change the windows for inward opening ones and fit a grill for security. Not sure we would be able to match the, natural wood, windows again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russdl Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 Can you put external blinds up? You need to stop the sun getting into the room and then the window opening/closing regime you’re employing already. Don’t touch the insulation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andehh Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 (edited) Insulation works both ways, it will keep your very hot loft from heating up the house. Your only realistic option is air con... Our master bedroom has a 4.5m ceiling one side and 3.2m ceiling the other side.... Still gets warm and stuffy... Your only realistic option is air con. Either portable or full install. We went with a full system and it works brilliantly well. Running costs are prop average of 15- 20p an hour? Edited July 17 by Andehh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 how is it heated ? Solar gain is a lot worse with bungalows as they have more floor area. Ceiling fans are a cheap first step to help move warm air. Can you not fully open the windows and doors all day to let air through ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patp Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 Underfloor electric heating. We have several large windows facing south and several facing west We do open windows on the shady side but being a bungalow we are reluctant to have any windows open at night. There are no quarter lights We do have a large array of solar panels so our daytime electricity is paid for but at night we would have to fund the running of the air con. Did I read somewhere that someone used to rung the air con in the bedroom all day (powered by solar) and then turn it off during the night? Would that work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 what is the wall/loft insulation ? maxing this out everywhere is step1. Tried blackout blinds in the day to keep out the heat ? Canopies etc for doors ? Anything passive is cheap to run 24 x 7! No ventilation at night is going to be a massive issue. Cheapest will be one of the mobile units with a through wall dryer type vent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 On 17/07/2024 at 07:11, patp said: My question is - has anyone removed the loft insulation above a hot room? What is the feasibility of doing so? Would it work? An even more drastic solution would be to put in a vaulted ceiling but, I think, that is a step too far. Removal of insulation is to be frank a daft idea. Making the ceiling vaulted may add to the issue, as you have more trapped hot air. We use - keep the sun out with blinds first. Then - Opening windows and doors to get cross ventilation. We are also in a bungalow I see no issue opening windows, when you home. Cooling is also used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGrahamT21 Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 Definitely don’t remove insulation as others have said. I think external shading is going to be your best option, all depends on what the bungalow looks like as to what would work best. if you’ve plenty of room above windows, you could look at brise soleil to shade the windows in the summer months. Limited space you could look at an external window film. It’s all about limiting the heat in the window panes, which if you have double could reach a good 70C on a hot day for south facing. do you have any roof windows which can open? My trick on my bungalow on a morning is to open bifold door at one end of bungalow and roof windows at other end, creates a lovely wind tunnel. what is the construction build up on the walls and roof in terms of all materials outside to inside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 Hi @patp Do you have mechanical ventilation? Marvin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russdl Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 1 hour ago, patp said: We do open windows on the shady side Only open windows when it’s cooler outside than in, as soon as it’s warmer outside than you would like it inside, shut the windows, shady side or not. If you can find some way of temporarily attaching a sheet to the outside of the window when the sun shines (closing the windows on it to hold it in place, make a timber frame etc) That would go a long way to keeping the heat out whilst still letting a fair amount of light in - unless you have black sheets… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrowhawk Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 On days where it becomes cooler outside than inside before we go to bed, we open a window either side of the house and turn one of these on: https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-18-industrial-floor-fan-220-240v/105rj That helps to temporarily cool down the room, but the building fabric can still radiate stored heat into the house. We have a cold roof setup and this year had more ventilation added to the loft. That has made a difference on hot days, because there's now less heat trapped in the roof space. We've also added external shading to the Velux windows and that helps too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 On 17/07/2024 at 07:11, patp said: The bedroom has two large windows facing West and East So you get a lot of solar gain in the morning and evening. Couple that to higher outside temperatures and you will get elevated internal temperatures. This time of year, a south facing window is usually reflecting more light than enters and is often shaded by the roof overhang. But rather than everyone guessing, how about some data. How hot is the room? What is the window area to floor area ratio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patp Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 Thanks all. No mechanical ventilation. We have been shutting out the heat by closing curtains etc. Trying to cool the space when it is cool outside etc. It is like a full time job. The roof insulation is sheep's wool so easy to handle which is why I thought of it. Leaving the windows open at night? Being female it does make me nervous. When we were considering air con during last years's heat wave I remember reading that someone ran theirs all day in the bedroom to drop the temperature and then turned it off when they went to bed. I think it might be the only answer? We do have a large (46) array of solar panels that would run the air con so, apart from the initial outlay, the cost would be minimal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 4 minutes ago, patp said: We do have a large (46) array of solar panels that would run the air con so, apart from the initial outlay, the cost would be minimal? Install air con. It will be free to run during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceverge Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Air con with a function for heating while you're at it. It'll be far cheaper to run in the winter than electric underfloor heating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galileo Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 About 10 years ago I was living in Cambridgeshire, in the middle of town, in a bungalow, large windows, facing due South, and we were in the middle of a prolonged heatwave. The place started the day cool enough but by late afternoon the internal walls were all hot to the touch and would stay that way well into the early hours of the next morning, we took to sleeping on the kitchen stone floor! The property was a rental so not much I could do with it, but being part foreign and spending a lot of time in hot places, the perfect solution like Mike above suggested was to build a stand-alone brise-soleil made from cheap Wickes timber fence posts and treated timber. The difference was immediate, the walls and window were shaded from the intense afternoon sun and the bedrooms were tolerable. Now, there was that time I worked in a portable cabin (don't want Portakabin to come after me) and came up with the great idea of blocking the downpipes up and filling the roof with water to cool it down a bit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 2 hours ago, Galileo said: window were shaded from the intense afternoon sun I made some tin foil screens a couple of years back, dropped the internal temperature by 10°C. No light, but was a very quick remedy (and Cornwall does not have extreme temperatures for long). 2 hours ago, Galileo said: filling the roof with water to cool it down a bit... Brilliant. Can do the same with a bathtub and blow a fan across it. Evaporation cooling is a real thing. https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/ct/heating-and-air-conditioning/air-Coolers 60 quids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc100 Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 (edited) I have the same issue. We do have AC that we leave on during sunny days as the solar panels cover the cost. Sometimes we have it on at night time to time. Its all built into the loft/walls so all hidden. I knew we might over heat in these rooms due to design limitations (Class Q) and south facing. I'm also considering brise soleils on the south side, but the last 2 summers have been ok on the whole, but I'll probably fit these in time. I quick fix i did for the super hot summer we had 3 years ago, I got some solar film off ebay for about £200 and put up on the outside of the windows (as mine are triple glazed) - this helped somewhat at reducing solar gain. I removed them at the end of summer. I haven;' bother the last 2 summers as its not been hot enough. Edited July 23 by gc100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galileo Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 We've had 3 days of scorchio 16c on the trot this week, might take off my fleece and have an ice cream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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