Old House Stays Cool Without Air Conditioning
Listen to the story
Summers in the UK are getting hotter. Many people want a cool home. But not everyone wants to use air conditioning. Air conditioning uses a lot of power.
One old house from the 1960s stays cool a different way. The house uses ideas from something called Passivhaus. Passivhaus is a way to build or change a house so it keeps a good temperature.
More UK homeowners like this idea now. They want to feel cool in summer. They also want to save energy. Energy is power for heat, light, and machines.
A Passivhaus home often has special insulation. Insulation is material that keeps heat in or out. The house also has good ventilation. Ventilation means clean air moving through a building.
This kind of house does not need air conditioning. It stays cool in summer and warm in winter. More people in the UK may choose this way to build or fix their homes.
Vocabulary15 words
- Passivhaus
- a way to build a house so it keeps a good temperature
- energy
- power used for heat, light, and machines
- insulation
- material that keeps heat in or out
- ventilation
- clean air moving through a building
- air conditioning
- a machine that makes air cool
- homeowner
- a person who owns a house
- temperature
- how hot or cold something is
- standard
- a way of doing something that many people follow
- power
- energy used to make things work
- material
- what something is made from
- building
- a house, school, or other structure
- popular
- liked by many people
- cool
- not hot
- summer
- the hottest season of the year
- idea
- a plan or thought
Quiz
Answer key
1. Passivhaus 2. No 3. Because summers are hotter
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Summers in the UK are getting _____.
Many people want a _____ home.
Air conditioning uses a lot of _____.
One old house from the _____ stays cool a different way.
The house uses ideas from something called _____.
More UK _____ like this idea now.
They also want to save _____.
A Passivhaus home often has special _____.
The house also has good _____.
This kind of house does not need _____.
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