I hope my fellow Gen Xers see my subject line and finish the lyric … “and some sweat when the heat is on.” 😉
- My parents might be thinking about the 1959 Marilyn Monroe/Tony Curtis/Jack Lemmon rom-com.
🥵 But all of us can agree … NOT THIS HOT!
Why it matters: When you’re trying to stay cool in your home, remember that you are fighting against the laws of physics.
- Hot moves to cold!
⚙️ How it works: Heat moves in 3 ways:
👉 Conduction —> through direct contact.
- When you walk barefoot on your concrete walkway to get the mail, conduction is what can burn your feet.
👉 Convection —> heat transfer within fluid — air contains water vapor, so it counts as a fluid.
- When hot air from your attic moves through cracks and crevices in your ceiling and walls, convection is heating the inside of your house.
👉 Radiation —> heat moving by electromagnetic waves.
- When an object is hotter than its surroundings — like an incandescent light bulb — radiation from the object heats the surrounding area.
🤓 Nice science lesson but now what?
✅ For your Smart Homeowner list
- Change starts with awareness, so start thinking about the sources of heat you’re battling.
- Shade is a powerful tool because it reduces the radiant heat from the sun.
- Air sealing is another management tool because it prevents hot air from moving into cooler, air-sealed spaces.
Best,
Travis
P.S. Tune in tomorrow to see some actual numbers from a recent home performance test. They are … 🤯