The average temperature in Madrid in July is 9C cooler than in Phoenix. Good insulation would reduce the cooling costs (and it's sort of absurd how many homes i

The average temperature in Madrid in July is 9C cooler than in Phoenix. Good insulation would reduce the cooling costs (and it's sort of absurd how many homes in hot areas don't have good insulation), but no amount of insulation will keep a house cool when the ambient temperature doesn't even make it down to 25C at night for a month or longer. Portland and SF have similar climates, so you would expect them to look similar. Portland has rain instead of fog, but both rarely get notably hot or cold.