What Weird Weather
In this post I tell you how I used my house to maintain internal temperatures at around 24°C [75°F] over 1 x intense hot-dry day, followed by 1 x hot-humid day, succeeded by 1 cold-humid day, and finally 1 x pleasant day.
Every year I look forward to this time of year (November) as it challenges me the most in maintaining my house comfortable without using electricity operated heating or cooling.
If you live in Perth, Western Australia you have just experienced 4 very wild variations of weather over the same number of days!
For the record and for those of you who know a little about thermodynamics, my house has a clay tile roof, plasterglass ceilings with R3 insulation batts, double brick cavity walls, and suspended timber floors surrounded by limestone footings.
Measurements below are: temperature in °C DBT (dry bulb temperature) and relative humidity as %RH (relative humidity). For my followers in the USA, conversions in °F are also provided.
I hope the following schedule helps you (wherever you live) to keep comfortable.
Leave me a comment and let me know if this worked for you or let me know how you manage to keep cool or warm in your part of the world.
October 30th, 2020 : VERY HOT DRY DAY
- 9am: 26.7°C DBT; 27%RH [80.0°F; 27%RH]
- 3pm 34.8°C DBT; 21%RH [94.6°F; 21%RH]
- Worst combination (around 1.30pm): 37.2°C DBT; 20%RH [99.0°F; 20%RH]
- Overall the day felt very hot and dry, just like the middle of summer.
Schedule:
The coming hot weather was eagerly advertised the night before so at 6pm on October 29th I opened all windows and kept them open the whole night.
6am my house was feeling cool, so I shut all windows to give it the best chance to stay that way into the rest of the day.
12noon I went outside for a little while and it was very hot. Interior temperature in my house was 25°C [77°F]; it felt like I had the AC on when actually it was just the 10°C [50°F] jump between inside and outside that made it feel that way.
3pm despite being breezy, it was still very hot outside. The thermometer in my lounge was reading 26°C [79°F]. I resisted the urge to open windows until later.
6pm I opened all windows to allow for the heat that had accumulated during the day to be replaced by cooler night air (night purging). I kept windows open all night.
October 31st, 2020 : HOT HUMID DAY
- 9am 24.7°C DBT; 52%RH [76.4°F; 52%RH]
- 3pm 21.1°C DBT; 63%RH [70.0°F; 63%RH]
- Worst combination (around 6.30am) 19.0°C DBT; 88%RH [66.0°F; 88%RH]
- Overall the day felt hot and humid, which is rare in Perth but does happen especially each November.
Schedule:
6am I kept all windows open from the night before. As it was already feeling humid, I opened various doors between rooms to create cross ventilation throughout the house.
12noon I cooked outdoors. I wanted to avoid further warming up the house with heat coming from my stove (internal heat gains), and had lunch outside. Windows and doors remained open.
3pm I spent some time outdoors while I waited for prevailing breezes to cool my house down through open windows and doors. The temperature inside my house was 26°C [79°F] which felt uncomfortable in the humidity. Outdoors the effects of afternoon coastal winds which prevail thought the year in Perth, kept me comfortable.
6pm I kept all windows and internal doors open through the night.
November 1st, 2020 : COLD HUMID DAY
- 9am 15.2°C DBT; 97%RH [59.3°F; 97%RH]
- 3pm 14.8°C DBT; 88%RH [58.6°F; 88%RH]
- Worst combination (around 7.30am) 15.8°C DBT; 99%RH [60.4°F; 99%RH]
- Overall the day felt cold and damp, and it rained just like the middle of winter.
Schedule:
6am closed all windows. It rained during the night and my house was feeling rather cold and damp.
9am I opened all curtains to my windows. This was to make sure I could gain some passive solar heating from sunlight. The sun, unfortunately remained covered by clouds all day long, so this strategy was not very effective, but it made me feel better to have some daylight coming into my house on a rainy cold day. Windows remained shut.
12noon I cooked indoors. This time I chose to bake specifically because heat from the oven is hot and dry (internal heat gain). Once my meal was cooked I left the oven door open so some of that heat could warm my house and remove some of the humidity (‘take out the chill’) from the air. Windows remained shut.
3pm I put on a sweat-shirt (hoodie). Windows remained shut.
6pm I cooked indoors again. This time my windows fogged up because the temperature outside was substantially colder than the temperature inside my house. I opened the windows in affected rooms for about 2 minutes and then shut them for the night. That solved the condensation issue and still kept rooms warm enough throughout the night.
November 2nd, 2020 : MILD PLEASANT DAY
- 9am: 18.1°C DBT; 67%RH [64.6°F; 67%RH]
- 3pm: 21.1°C DBT; 53%RH [70.0°F; 53%RH]
- Worst combination (around 6am) 14.0°C DBT; 94%RH [57.2°F; 94%RH]
- Overall the day began a little cool, then became very pleasant, just like most spring days.
Schedule:
6am I kept windows shut.
9am I opened windows here and there just for some fresh air and kept them open throughout the day.
3pm I shut all the windows as prevailing breezes were making my house ‘drafty’ (too much cross ventilation).
6pm kept my windows shut through to the next morning.
Lastly…
If you live in a place that is as blessed with mild natural weather as Perth, then I hope this schedule has helped highlight that there is absolutely no need to reach for the AC or heater under the temperatures and relative humidity ranges I have detailed above.
References – websites accessed and correct at time of publishing.
Perth WA, October 2020 Daily Observations: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/202010/html/IDCJDW6111.202010.shtml
Daily Observations for November 2020 (temporary data only): http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60901/IDW60901.94608.shtml
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