Installing a sunroom creates additional living space where you can enjoy the outdoors without exposure to bugs or rain. However, during the summer, these glass enclosures can heat up and make you uncomfortable. Below are a few strategies to keep your room pleasant this season.

4 Tips for Cooling Sunrooms 

1. Use Fans

Turning on a ceiling fan can make the sunroom temperature feel several degrees lower. These fixtures use the wind chill effect, which lowers the body temperature by creating airflow. The blades move warm air upwards and encourage sweat evaporation to keep you comfortable.

If you’re looking for a low-cost way to cool the area, use portable fans. Many people rely on floor fans with tall stands to spread the air around. Face these appliances toward the space where you sit to give off a cooling breeze.

2. Install a Ductless HVAC System

Ductless air conditioners feature a small indoor unit that moves warm air from inside the room over evaporator coils. The refrigerant inside the coils absorbs the heat and transports it to an outdoor unit where it releases the warmth before circulating back inside.

These small wall units cool the room to a temperature similar to the rest of the home. You could also have an HVAC specialist add ducts to the existing system to add a comprehensive temperature control. However, adding ductwork is costly, and may require you to upgrade the home’s system, as well.

3. Add Window Treatments

The sun radiates ultraviolet (UV) rays that can heat your home as they stream in through the windows. Keep out UV rays by installing window shades. Rolling shades that retract up to the height of the wall where it meets the ceiling offer the most coverage. However, blinds will direct the light, allowing you to illuminate part of the sunroom for easy TV viewing or reading, while still limiting sun penetration.

4. Update the Windows

Install windows with low-emittance or “low-E” coatings to keep cold air inside and limit the effectiveness of UV rays that pass through the glass. These microscopic, transparent coatings reflect infrared energy from the sun. This lowers the amount of heat that escapes through the sunroom in the winter and minimizes the rays that warm up the room in the summer. You’ll spend less money heating and cooling this area by using low-E coated glass.

If you want to add a sunroom to your home, contact Aladdin’s Glass & Screen Products, Inc., in Nicholasville, KY, to learn about their custom glass and screen items. The locally owned and operated business has over 25 years of experience servicing storefronts, commercial glass, and new construction throughout Lexington and central Kentucky. Call (859) 887-4070 to schedule an initial consultation. Visit the website for information on their residential and retail offerings.