hi all. i live in western Colorado, in the desert part rather than the mountain part, and it’s HOT. and sunny. my house has a long west-facing wall full of large windows, and we’ve been keeping the blinds shut all day but it’s not helping. i’m thinking of installing awnings.
my questions are, a) have you done this or something similar, and if so what did you do, b) are there awnings available that are NOT just plastic? and c) any other hints, tips, or ideas would be welcome.
Yes, here in South Limburg in the Netherlands a lot of homes have these installed and I guess keeping the sun out is the best option, whether it be awning or roller shutter.
We have solar reflecting blinds, and keeping windows and filters shut helps quite a bit. Solar reflecting blinds are still heating up the window panes though. Temperatures inside still up to 30°C (86°F) in heat waves as we also have a flat roof that we insulated last year, heat build up day by day. We went checking on awnings, but good ones are quite expensive, we went earlier this year for a split unit AC.
We also use a sun umbrella on the balcony door which has the largest window pain, it definitely helps, maybe a cheap/quick solution instead of awnings.