Household Energy Savings

Cooling

Passive cooling

Passive cooling includes shade  to keep the summer sun out (more...), good insulation, and good ventilation.

Passive cooling isn’t just for new homes. Passive cooling features can be added to existing homes - it may be as easy as planting trees to provide shade, or leaving windows open to get breeze circulating.

In most parts of New Zealand, even in summer, this should be enough to keep your home cool.

Other cooling options (more...)

Fans	If natural ventilation doesn’t keep you cool enough, a fan may   make you feel several degrees cooler. Fans are cheap to buy, easy  to install, and comparatively cheap to run.
Ceiling fans	A ceiling fan circulates air in summer and helps to keep you cooler. In winter it can re-circulate warm air downwards that collects near the ceiling.
Evaporative coolers	Evaporative coolers are a form of air conditioner. They cool air by evaporating water, so work best in dry climates. If humidity is high, as in Auckland, these coolers will not work well.
Heat pumps	Heat pumps provide heating in winter, but most models can be switched to reverse - which means they can be used to cool your home in summer.

Source:

www.smarterhomes.org.nz