Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
When I was in the Greek islands I found it pretty amazing how the inside temperatures in the houses stayed in the low to mid 70s F while the temp outside was in the 90s F. But I don't think those places hold heat very well, which is still far more of a concern for those of us who live in places with extreme winter weather.
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People always sell the US short. My Arizona house, besides having a 98% reflective roof, has 15" thick masonry walls and roof overhangs that prevent any direct sunlight hitting the windows which are still fairly small and double-paned. Also, I have cieling fans in every major room.
Generally it stays in the 70s inside until the outside temp gets well into the 90s, but I still need A/C when the temp hits 105F, as it commonly does in Tucson and mainly at night because the masonry holds the heat in and radiates it and I like it cool for sleeping. Solid masonry construction, as in the Greek Isles, acts like a big heat sink, stabilizing the temperature more than cooling it. It moderates inside temps in both directions--warmer at night, cooler in the daytime. In the desert we can have 40F day/night temp swings because of the dry air (humidity reduces such variations) so the effect of the masonry walls makes a big difference.