How can we keep homes cool without air conditioning?

A 2022 study by Alexandra Rempel at the University of Oregon and her colleagues showed that opening windows at night and pulling down shades during the day can lower peak indoor air temperatures by 14°C during a heatwave. News Analysis Environment AS THE extreme heatwaves currently affecting parts of Europe, Asia and the US make clear, homes in many areas of the world urgently need to be changed to help residents cope with a hotter climate. "The important thing is to open up the entire house at night, to open the windows as soon as outdoor air is cooler than indoor air, and to leave them open all night until the next morning, closing them only when the outdoor air begins to approach the indoor air temperature again", says Rempel. [Extracted from the article]