As Australian summers seem to be getting hotter and electricity prices are increasing, we need to look for passive techniques to keep our houses cool instead of reaching for the air con remote. For those living off-grid, this is always a consideration. When you understand how heat gets into your house, the solutions are clear, and there are a number of options to suit all budgets. We moved a 100-year-old house on to our property about six years ago and took a number of steps to ensure that we would not require air conditioning, even though it had been essential in our previous house nearby. Heat transfer There are three ways that heat is transferred from the outside to the inside of your house in summer (and in reverse in winter): conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction is heat transferred through the materials of your house. First the cladding or the roof heats up, and that heat is conducted through to the interior walls. Convection ...