Awnings leave the heat outsideĪwnings reduce glare without affecting views too much, and they block up to 90% of solar heat gain on south-facing windows-before the heat can come through the window. One drawback of using curtains or drapes is that you may end up with dark rooms and need to turn on lights, which can cut into energy savings.
#Keep light out of windows windows#
While that means that those windows block 80% of solar gain while still permitting a somewhat darkened view, they don't provide much privacy, so many people will still use curtains or blinds.Ĭombining the two is a good bet: the curtains offer privacy, while the low-SHGC windows block the sunlight before it gets into the house, which is much more effective. For comparison, the highest-performing low-solar-gain windows on the market have an SHGC of 0.20 or lower. See membership options » Curtains and drapes block up to 60% of solar gainĬurtains and drapes, the old standby, work pretty well: when installed over clear (uncoated) glass, these attachments alone can block 20%–60% of solar gain (depending on material and color), reducing or preventing the need for air conditioning. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SUSTAINABILITY REPORTINGīuildingGreen relies on our premium members, not on advertisers. We use windows to give us views, fresh air, and passive solar heating in the winter, but are there good ways to modify them to prevent too much solar gain in the summer? Yes, and new research from BuildingGreen (my company) and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) tells us which "window attachments" are worth using. Cranking the AC only drives up the power bill. For buildings with windows-which is most of them-retreating inside gets you out of the shade, but it can be hotter and stuffier. That may be true, but a lot of us are turning away from the sun this time of year. The crucial detail that I got wrong, says Gordon: "No relative of mine would ever turn back from a dark night, I can assure you." Out of the sun and into the frying pan They pulled into a gas station, had a confab and decided it was too dark-they couldn't proceed-and they turned around and drove home. They got across the Tappan Zee Bridge and onto the New Jersey Turnpike when all of a sudden there were no more streetlights. The whole family, in three cars, left Dorchester in the evening heading for Florida. They thought there were at least three bears outside. They asked Gordon how anyone here ever slept at night: it was so dark and quiet that none of them got a wink. Three aunts of a young man from Dorchester, Mass., came up to celebrate his graduation from a Vermont boarding school. Well, a lot changed in the telling, and Gordon got back to me with what really happened. Bring it in the house to prepare to glue the material to the foam board.A few weeks ago I told a story in this space that was third-hand from Gordon Hayward.Once cut, make sure it fits by testing it in your window.Start cutting out the window shape with an exacto knife Leave a small notch so that it's easy removable!.Remove see through paper and tape it to your foam board.
Trace the contours of the window (you should be able to use the frame of the window as a guide) Remember, this is to be placed INSIDE the frame, so trace the inside, not the outside! (see pic).Tape your see through paper over your window.These cost around 5 dollars to make each, and you can bump up their quality with additional material (or even the actual black out material they sell at the store!) This is especially true after our first camp trip of the year with all 3 kids in a new sleep set up – my son moved to the top bunk (no window!) but my twins are now in the bottom where there is both a window and blinds… and the blinds seem especially fun when they are going to sleep! I imagine it’s like some fun crunchy baby toy in their eyes for them!Īnyways, I wanted a quick and cheap way to do a couple of things – block out the light, help regulate the temperature a bit in our camper, as well as hopefully reduce the need to have those crunchy, cheap blinds that little kids love to wreck!
Who else loves to nap during the day, but are blinded by the sunlight streaming through those cheap camper blinds, and swear you’ll buy the fancy black out blinds for your camper next time?īut if you’re like me, and super cheap, you probably never do! I have a TON of things in my “Save for Later” section of my Amazon cart, and I can tell you, nice blackout blinds are one of them!
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