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cooling plan

Our recommendations are built on authoritative Australian sources: the Australian Government's YourHome guide (yourhome.gov.au) for passive cooling principles, the National Construction Code (NCC) climate zone classifications, CSIRO housing research on thermal comfort, and NatHERS energy rating guidelines. Product recommendations feature items rated by CHOICE and verified on ProductReview.com.au. We've cross-referenced building science research on thermal mass, insulation R-values, and climate-specific strategies.

Yes, completely free with no catches. You get personalised recommendations, a PDF action plan emailed to you, and shareable results. We don't sell your data and have no affiliate links - any product links are just examples to help you know what to look for.

Absolutely! In fact, many of our highest-impact recommendations help you use your existing AC more efficiently. We'll suggest strategies like optimising your ducted zone controls, pre-cooling before heatwaves, using ceiling fans alongside AC (which lets you set the thermostat 2-3°C higher), and reducing heat gain so your AC doesn't work as hard. Many users can cut their cooling bills by 30-50% while staying just as comfortable.

We've got you covered. When you select 'rent', we automatically filter to non-permanent solutions: portable evaporative coolers, removable window film, internal blockout blinds, door draft stoppers, and behavioral strategies like night purging and cross-ventilation. These can make a significant difference - portable shade blinds and window film alone can reduce a room's heat gain by 40-60%.

Yes! While some recommendations are house-specific (like roof ventilation), many apply equally to apartments: window film, internal blinds, ceiling fans, sealing air gaps, cross-ventilation strategies, and portable cooling options. The questionnaire will filter out recommendations that don't apply to your situation.

Two-storey homes have unique challenges - heat rises, making upper floors significantly hotter. We provide specific recommendations for this: ensuring adequate ceiling insulation (even more critical when living space is below), installing ceiling fans on the upper floor, using stairwell doors or curtains to contain cool air, and optimising ducted AC zones to run bedrooms independently. Our scoring prioritises these recommendations for two-storey homes.

Typical Australian households spend $600-1,200/year on cooling. Our users commonly save 30-50% by implementing high-impact recommendations. For example: external shading on west windows can save $100-250/year, ceiling fans used with AC can save $100-300/year, and proper ceiling insulation can save $180-400/year. Free strategies like night purging and closing blinds from midday cost nothing but can reduce AC runtime by 20-30%.

The afternoon sun (1-6pm) hits west-facing windows at a low angle, penetrating deep into rooms. A large unshaded west window can add 1-2kW of heat - equivalent to running a bar heater! This is why external shading on west windows is often our #1 recommendation. It's far more effective to stop heat before it enters (external shade blocks 80%) than to deal with it inside (internal blinds only block 20-30%).

Australia has 8 distinct climate zones, and strategies that work in Perth can fail in Darwin. In hot-dry climates (WA, SA) with humidity under 40%, evaporative cooling is excellent and thermal mass with night purging works well. In hot-humid climates (QLD, NT) with 60-80% humidity, evaporative cooling is ineffective - you need refrigerative AC and good airflow instead. Night purging requires at least 6°C day-night temperature difference, which doesn't happen in tropical areas.

We include example brands to help you know what to look for, but we're not affiliated with any products or companies. Many of our top recommendations cost nothing: night purging, cross-ventilation, closing blinds, and using exhaust fans strategically. We'd rather suggest a free DIY solution than an unnecessary purchase.

Yes! You can share via a unique link (which includes your assessment data so others see your specific recommendations), get a detailed PDF report emailed to you, or print the page. The PDF is great for discussing options with family members or getting quotes from tradespeople.

CoolMyHouse is specifically designed for Australian homes, climate zones, building standards, and government rebate programs. While some general cooling principles apply anywhere, the specific product recommendations, energy costs, rebate information, and climate zone strategies are tailored for Australia. If you're in New Zealand or another country, some concepts may help, but you'll want to research local products, regulations, and incentives separately.