Every year summer begins and the heat starts to climb. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to get outside again after a cold winter. But, no matter how grateful you are, the heat of the sun can be oppressive. That’s why you need to have somewhere you can take shelter.

Naturally many homes have air conditioning systems fitted to help keep them cool. However, the average Australian household spends $500 on running their air conditioning every year. This can be more in a metal building that attracts and holds the heat.

That is one of the downsides when you use metal construction beams and panels. They get hot in the sun and slowly diffuse that heat into the space below, overheating your house in the process. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help keep your metal building cool and save on your air conditioning bill.

Reflective Roof

The first step is to look at the metal roof of your home and either replace the metal with some that have a reflective coating built into it or add a reflective coating to the roof you currently have. This will bounce much of the heat of the sun back into the air, reducing the amount that gets into your home and helping to keep it cool.

You may be surprised at how much difference this makes.

Insulation

Most people think of keeping a house warm when you talk about insulation./ But, what it actually does is help to maintain the temperature in the home. In short, it keeps the warm air in the house and the cool air outside.

This works in reverse in the hot summer months when the cooler air can be trapped in the house and the warmer air outside. You can apply the insulation to the underside of your metal roof. However, it gives the best effect when you creating a ceiling and put the insulation between the roof and the additional ceiling.

Ventilation

If you create a small roof space and line it with insulation the amount of heat available to get into your home will be significantly reduced. You can improve this further by adding ventilation to the roof void.

A simple fan system that blows air into the roof space and pushes it out the other side will keep the air moving. When the air is warm this may not have a substantial effect on the heat output of your metal roof.

However, if you put the ventilation on when the air is cooler in the evening it will help to keep the space cool and for it to take longer to heat up during the daytime. This will lower the temperature of your home without needing to turn on the air conditioner.

Shade

Finally, you can help keep the temperature down inside your metal building by fitting blinds or curtains to windows and awnings to the side of the building. These prevent the sun from getting inside your home and heating it directly.