How to improve inside climate when you have indoor pets?

[kiwiDIYchick]

Hi all,

After some suggestions. We've in our place for 2yrs now & have indoor pets.

The place is 6YO build, Has a small fire place & small Heat Pump-A/C unit both in the lounge.

3 bedroom house, around 150m2 with an Iron roof.

The location and size of the current heat pump isnt ideal but dont want to move it etc. It does not move any cool air to the other end of the house where the bedrooms are.

The bedrooms are stuffy & hot at nights.

Cracking windows may help a bit but then we can hear the distant drone of traffic & other noise.

I know we could look at a 2nd heat pump-A/C unit at the other end of the house but I wondered if there are any other options that anyone has had experience with in s similar situation as me?

Ive been looking at Roof Vents, solar or powered & think that could help a fair bit.

My partner suggested a ducted air cooling system. Seems like a good idea but I have concerns about noise at nighttime.

I'm partial to any night noise. And from my experience with the heat transfer system that's installed, we cant use it at night in winter due its noise.

We have solar roof panels + battery system.

Currently have the A/C set to come on at 20degrees in the day time, curtains are set to close then also.

I've added the plan of our house for more info

Wondering what success anyone has had with anything?

Recommendations?

[JDE]

KiwiDIYchick

Weve found venting the roof to have a huge effect in central west NSW. Also the use of external awnings / blinds to block the afternoon sun. In one house where we could not do this we had some of  the windows tinted, like on a car. It was very effective reducing heat from the afternoon sun. Ceiling fans can also be quite effective. Do you have insulation above the ceiling its a diy that has a big effect both summer and winter. JDE

[Remarka6le]

Hey @kiwiDIYchick, 

We've done a few things to reduce the temp in our home. We have Pillar Mirror Tint on most of our Windows, it drastically reduced the light & heat that comes into those rooms, the rest have Pillar Crystal Tint, doesn't reduce as much light, but takes away a lot of the heat. We initially had only one Air Conditioner in our home, which was in our living room at the front of our house and designed for a small room. We now have one in our Main Bedroom, which is at the back of the house, and one in my office, which is in the middle of the house, so we have it evenly split so we only really need 2 going at a time.  

Next, we replaced the insulation in our home with newer stuff. Then came the Roof Vent to further blow hot air out, we've already discussed that here but I 100% recommend it, I have a large home and it's doing wonders, so it would be perfect for yours. 

Honestly, with the size of your home, ducted would be the best option. You'd be able to control it from your phone and would have a controller in an accessible area (likely in Hallway). The one my parents have keeps rooms within a temperature range, turning off when it's there and only turning on again when it's higher or lower than the set range. 

Regards

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @kiwiDIYchick 

The effectivness of  any steps you take will depend on you climate conditions like @JDE  had  great success with  roof venting in a less humid area,  And I do agree  with ceiling  fan use any climate and they are  very low  power on a solar system. And on low pretty quite noise levels but shop  for the best quitest models as some are noisy. 

@Remarka6le Idea with window tinting is also great for summer I use some in key windows  but can block that lovly warm winter sun in winter so  an internal block curtain like  what sounds like you have automated too sounds great.

I think a second  smaller a/c unit 3KW other end of the house running during the day will heat or cool the house while your solar is in full production during the day should   provide enough coolness or heat to last into some of the night if the house insulated.

So ceiling fans for any climate  and a second  A/C   would be the most successful options in my experiance.

Given your house plan you would need a  roof mounted unit in the hall way as people in bed 1,2, or 3 will want to close doors blocking any air con from  others,

[MitchellMc]

It's great that you've already received some helpful suggestions, @kiwiDIYchick.

Venting hot air from your roof from midday to sundown is an excellent way to reduce the temperature of your roof cavity. This becomes all the more effective with adequate insulation. Is your roof insulated?

A ducted system would certainly be worth considering, provided the unit is at the far end of the house to the bedrooms; I wouldn't expect a significant amount of noise coming from the vents. Perhaps if you knew someone with a ducted system, you could check to see if the noise is acceptable.

I also love the idea of using tint on the windows. Although blinds are good, it's too late by the time the visible light rays have passed through the glass. They hit the curtains and heat them and the room. It's best to stop trying and cut down the light from entering the glass in the first place. The current range of window tints are great at reducing the amount of light transmission whilst also allowing you to see out.

You might like to check out this helpful article on How to keep your home warm in winter. You'll find most of the suggestions apply to keeping your home cool in summer, too.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell