Mini Split AC Unit in Shreveport – Passive Cooling.

Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power. Traditional cooling techniques, such as air conditioning or evaporative cooling, rely on power to operate compressors and fans that forcibly cool a space. Such power is most typically purchased from a local utility and is generated by burning fossil fuels that can have degrading effects on the environment.

Vents and windows strategically incorporated into a building’s design, for example, can route hot air out of the house while drawing in cool air to replace it. Hotter air is more buoyant than cooler air and rises naturally on its own. Vents placed near the ceiling on the side of the house away from prevailing winds can help this hotter air escape the structure. To replace it with cool air, vents and windows may be placed low on the side of the house in the path of the prevailing wind. It is then a simple matter of opening vents and windows to encourage natural convection to cool the structure.

More complex passive cooling methods may also be incorporated into a building’s design, such as earth cooling tubes. Earth cooling tubes take advantage of the cooler temperatures below the surface of the earth to cool a structure. Buried underground as they lead into a structure, earth cooling tubes draw outdoor air into the building through an underground route. As it passes through these tubes, air looses heat to the much cooler ground through which it travels on its way into the structure. Other passive cooling techniques are typically used in conjunction with earth tubes to set up a natural convection through the structure and vent hotter air.