◆ The problem
Why does my house stay hot at night?
It's not your imagination: nights in Panama are warming faster than days, and your house releases at night the heat it stored during the day.
Quick answer
Two things combine: the roof and walls release at night the heat they absorbed during the day, and nighttime minimum temperatures are rising the most under climate change (at least +2.18 °C by 2070) See evidence. That's why ventilating at night no longer cools things down like it used to.
What to do
- ◆ Insulate the roof so less heat gets in during the day and there's less to release at night.
- ◆ Ventilate only when outside air is actually cooler; close up when it's still hot and humid outside.
- ◆ Use fans to move air over people, with minimal power consumption.
◆ Gallardía
Now you understand why your house gets so hot.
What's left is the specifics: which intervention makes sense for your home. Gallardía diagnoses and installs residential thermal solutions in Panama.
◆ Sources for this page
Every important claim links to its evidence. Tap to see the source, its context and its limits: MiAmbiente Cool roof Comfort. Full bibliography in the evidence library.
What people ask most
Because the roof and walls release the heat they stored during the day, and because nights in Panama stay hot and humid. Insulating the roof reduces both effects.
Only if the outside air is cooler than the inside. If it's still hot and humid outside, you just let in moisture without cooling down. A fan usually helps more.