Air Flow in a House

The sizes of the windows in the diagram are wrong for a house in the north of the northern hemisphere. We need large windows on the south side for the passive solar gain, and small windows on the north to minimise solar loss.

But, there is a definite need for passive cooling through airflow in a house, especially this summer. It's the warmest, extended period I can remember. The walls of our house are big, thick and solid. It is significantly cooler inside than out, and the airflow from the south to the north is producing a wonderfully cool alley through the house. Da Hound has discovered how fantastic it is to lie on the ceramic tiles by the front door and just let a cool breeze waft over you.

Some lessons for a future house are to have small windows on the north, large on the south, Plant deciduous trees eg apples to the south to give shade in the summer, but allow sunlight and warmth to get into the house in the winter. Make sure there's going to be an airflow through the house, and that the doors can be effectively held open to prevent banging.