I love the white roof paint idea!
Used to have a bamboo trellis in the front but wood rot/moisture softened it and typhoon winds (10-16 hurricanes a year) knock down anything not built out of concrete...maybe a concrete one will last better but those are kinda expensive.
I've always dreamed of putting on PV panels except I have to find an affordable supplier that are windproof and sun-resistant...my neighbors who used polycarbonate sheets/panels got theirs cracked in just 2 years. Even car paint fades in a year due to the conditions here.
There is a space but there's nothing there. Just the I-beams holding the bolted down metal roof sheets on top and a gypsum ceiling. Distance from ceiling to the roof are 6 feet to just a couple of feet in some areas...so far, the gypsum has been termite resistant but fails as soon as moisture seeps through the roof.
I think your insulation idea will work because in the 2nd floor in high noon, when you raise your hand above your head, the temperature is wayyy hotter than on eye level.
on the ground floor, there is a gypsum ceiling about 1 foot from the concrete top.The ground floor is a lot cooler than the second floor (obviously)
I'd love to do ground loops but like you guys pointed out..no space...yet
I am looking at that heat exchanger thread of yours and I am very interested in it. Once I replace the current AC with a more efficient screw type one, I could do that with the old one.
Man, i love this forum!
PS. Planning to put up a garage roof for the car, it can't take any more punishment from the desert-like sun. I think the additional shade will help cool down the side of the house.
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