How am I doing?

snax · Tar Sands Joined: Jan 20, 2007 Posts: 75

Window awnings and blinds can make a huge difference in solar heat gain. Think about how hot your car gets on a sunny summer day with the windows up. Most of that heat is from the energy that goes through the glass.

If you have east and west facing glass that gets full sun, or if you south facing windows are not properly shaded in the summer, you can have allot of unwanted solar heat gain in the summer.

Ludi · Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject: Re: How am I doing?

We have awnings on our west-facing windows, and it has made a huge difference in the comfort of the house. We don't use AC in the house, except in the business work areas (office, workroom), and then only on the hottest days. The awnings were one of the very first improvements we made to the house and they have been a tremendous help. The only drawback is they make a lot of noise during windy nights. They are fabric awnings and are beginning to fray a bit now after about 8 years.

I should mention we live in Central Texas, a hot climate.
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patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1532

I'm planning to put up metal awnings using leftover white metal roofing from our new house roof. Permanently mounted. Then, simple, passive solar window box heaters for winter heat gain. In summer, they can be diverted for food drying. See the neat stuff in the food drying thread!