Looking for a log home? While logs are an excellent natural insulator, your home will need a little help to keep your home at the ideal temperature in both winter and summer.
Tips for Cooling a Log Home in the Summer
- Ceiling fans are still a good option but it seems that summers are getting hotter and they don’t always have the desired effect, especially if your bedroom is in the loft. Heat rises! A window fan or air conditioner can be noisy!
- Are you heating/cooling the whole house when you are only using one or two rooms? Think about a mini split ducted heating and cooling system rather than a whole house system.
- Extend you roof line to protect the logs. This does two things, in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky, it allows the sun in to warm your room and in the summer when the sun is higher it helps to keep the sun at bay.
- Ceiling fans in the loft if turned to reverse will bring the hot air down, thus cooling the air upstairs. This can work in reverse in the winter taking some of the warm air up.
Heating a Log Home in the Winter
- A popular heating system is Radiant floor, as it heats evenly and does not blow air and dust around the house as with a forced air system.
- Wood stove vs. fireplace. While a fireplace insert looks lovely it is not as efficient as the cosier (in my opinion) looking wood stove.
- Windows and doors are common places for heat loss; make sure you have no air infiltration there.
- Electric boxes on external walls are also areas that need to be sealed properly during construction.
- Orient your house to take advantage of the sun in the winter.
- Window screens are a necessity in the summer to keep bugs out but often darken the room to a degree; taking them out in the winter when we don’t often open the windows will let more light in during those grey days of winter. I would however recommend keeping a couple, in case you do need to open a window.
Cost Saving Tips
- Are you wasting water waiting for the water to get hot before you can take a shower in the morning? On demand water heaters also known as tank less water heaters are gaining popularity with new home owners.
- Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Geothermal can be expensive to install but will give a good return on your investment in the your energy bills in the years to come.
