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Alternative to Air-conditions?
(lemmus.org)
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this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2026
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The alternative is architecture designed to keep a building cool.
There is only so much you can do to achieve that. If temperatures are in the upper 30s for an entire week. You can't keep the heat out forever
And hot in the winter.
Heat exchangers are a good step forward IMO. They just need a small fan to function if there is like no wind.
Planting trees and bushes and plants around the property helps cool down the air around it too
Best I can do is clear cutting to build a neighborhood and then an HOA that won't let you plant trees.
I don't think I've ever heard of an HOA in Canada, yet.
At least not in Québec.
Or modifying what you have already.
Take a south or west facing window with a balcony & railing in front. By installing planter boxes on the railings and growing black eyed susans / morning glory / any climbing flowers, letting them grow up bamboo poles space 4" apart, you can create a heat absorbing barrier. The plants block and use the energy that would have been absorbed by your house. Unlike shades/screens they won't heat up and begin radiating heat themselves.
Female Hops are another great planting option. They cannot reproduce without a male plant, and every year they will grow back stronger. Train them underneath your building eaves and they will reduce the amount of heat energy your house absorbs while producing aesthetically pleasing "cone" flowers.
....
Also insulation. In Canada we need lots of insulation under our roofs for the winter. So while during the summer our black top roofs absorb a lot of heat, not as much of that heat is transferred to the indoor air as a roof with less insulation.
Its important to mention that this does require some maintenance and to be sure that the outside of the building is structurally sound (ie. gaps, rotted wood, crumbling morter,etc.)
Especially if you go with permanent plants. Like I suggest against Virginia Creeper cuz it will obscure any developing issues.
I second that! I am not too sure about hops tbh, in the sense that they don't seem to thrive/survive where I live, but the idea of using vegetation is helping greatly to cool the microclimate. The downside is that you will need at least a balcony, the bigger it is, the more vegetation you can have, and the more you have, the cooler it will be. If you have a garden, it's a whole other level, in the best possible way.
This approach is also great because you can plant eatibles, and have your own veggies and fruits.
Hops need LOTS of dirt for roots, water, and something to climb. I live in Zone 6a but our summers peak at 35°C so they might be more viable than you think.
If you do them in raised bed you 100% cannot have a sealed bottom.