Sunrooms are designed to offer homeowners the best of both worlds when it comes to indoor and outdoor living. Sunrooms can function as an additional dining room, living room, or even a bar and lounge! The only drawback is that in the heat of the summer, sunrooms can start to swelter and become uncomfortable.
In response, we’ve developed five tips on how to cool down a sunroom so that you and your family can continue to make the most of the space all Summer long.
1. Insulate and Air Seal Beneath the Porch
Whenever you’re addressing temperature problems in your sunroom or home, the first place you should start is ensuring that the room’s floor is properly insulated and air sealed.
Often, sunrooms are built on top of already existing decks. If this is how your sunroom was built, and you missed this step, heat will constantly be seeping into your sunroom and driving the temperature up. If you install an air conditioner, a poorly insulated room will lower its efficiency, and drive up your electric bills.
Starting with insulating and air sealing will save you time, money, and a lot of frustration!
2. Blinds and Energy Saving Curtains for Sunrooms
If you haven’t already, investing in some energy saving curtains for your sunroom can help to keep temperatures from skyrocketing.
These curtains and blinds are a great place to start when trying to cool down your sunroom because even if they don’t do enough by themselves, they’ll still work in addition to other measures you put in place.
Relatively inexpensive, low effort, and great for long term savings, sun blocking blinds are a must have starter solution for any sunroom.
3. Install Ceiling Fans in Your Sunroom
Before committing to a ductless air conditioner, many people install a ceiling fan in their sunroom. Cheaper, and sometimes easier to install, ceiling fans are a great way to circulate air through your sunroom and keep it feeling cool. Most ceiling fans come standard with multiple speeds, and a remote. If needed, you could also choose a ceiling fan with built in light fixtures.
There are some drawbacks to consider with ceiling fans though like the need to install multiple fans, the loss of vertical space, or the noise factor.
A fan that has to be operating at its highest speed to keep a sunroom comfortable is going to make a considerable amount of noise which may make it harder to relax, and enjoy conversations or quiet time in your sunroom. If there’s a family member that enjoys the sunroom as a reading space, the constant ruffling of pages from the full speed fan will quickly become an annoyance as well.
One advantage of a ceiling fan is that like sun blocking blinds, it will work in conjunction with other comfort measures you install. If you choose to install a ductless mini split system in your sunroom, a ceiling fan will help you to circulate the cold air the AC produces faster, helping it to maximize its efficiency, and use less electricity overall.
4. Install a Ductless Mini Split System
If you’ve followed the three steps above, and still can’t keep your sunroom cool in the summer it’s time to consider a major upgrade in the form of a ductless mini split system.
While a greater initial investment, ductless air conditioners provide you with indoor air temperature control quality on demand.
Benefits of a Ductless Mini Split System
- Easy Install: No ductwork means you can place a system on any wall.
- Energy Efficiency: Only operate while the sunroom is in use.
- Quiet Operation: variable compressor and fan options keep noise to a minimum
- Heat and Cool: Mini Split systems can cool in the summer, and heat in the winter.
These benefits are why homeowners often choose to invest in a ductless system rather than a standard window AC unit, or pay to construct an addition to their central AC, and ductwork.
5. Add Shade Trees to Your Property
If you plan on living in your home for the next 5-10 years, you could consider adding shade trees to your property. Once mature these trees would help to block sunlight to your sunroom and house.
This would lower the temperature of your home in the summer, and over time reduce your energy consumption costs as well.
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