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Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Bringing the breeze inside
THE living room is one part of our house which is a major user of electricity. It is one place where we rest, or enjoy the company of the members of our family, or entertain our guests, etc. It can be made sustainable and homey by following some simple tips.
When designing your house, determine the best position where you can achieve full advantage of a fixed or dominant breeze; and design for cross-ventilation. Ideally, cross-ventilation should be on the upper portions of the interior portions of the house. This will prevent excess hot air from being trapped in the room.
Get some help from nature by planting trees and plants around your house. Shade the windows from the sun by planting trees, building a well-designed veranda or fitting sunshades, metal blinds. In addition, trees are invaluable noise pollution dampers.
Do not use artificially scented fragrances. Instead, make sure you have good ventilation. Grow sweet-smelling plants such as basil and lavender. Make your own scented fragrance with herbs, dried flower petals, and spices.
Health experts recommend that a home have enough ventilation for one complete air exchange every two hours. Older homes with leaks and drafts accomplish this fairly easily, but newer homes that are tightly insulated and weather-stripped should have a ventilating system to ensure a continuous supply of fresh air.
(October 8, 2003 issue)
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