Why is my house hotter at night?

Question

Maybe someone can answer this for me and offer me some suggestions on what to do:

During the day, when it is the hottest outside, my house stays very cool. Several large trees surround the house and provide ample shade throughout the day to the house. However, at night, it seems after about 5 or 6 pm, the house seems to heat up, and it doesn't cool down again untill about 4-5am. What's going on here? It seems to me that the house should be hotter during the DAY when the sun is out, and should be cooler at night. What gives?

Answer 1

my dad's trick was always to turn box fans facing out the windows in the evening to get all the daytime hot air out... then turning them facing in once it gets dark and cool to get the cool air in!! we never had a/c and still don't. we always keep our windows shut with shades down during the day also.

Answer 2

Insulation and thermal mass. If you keep your doors and windows closed, it can take hours to heat up the house. For the same reason, it can take hours to cool off. Also, once it starts cooling down outside, when you enter the house it feels warmer. Once the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature, open doors and windows for ventilation, and increase the ventilation with exhaust fans.