How can I make a room cooler when the sun goes down n the west when i already have thermal blinds n the window

Question

The sun goes down in the west, in front of my house. We have no trees and are unable to plant any trees in the front yard. In the late evening when the sun starts to set, it can get 80-82 degrees in our living room. I have thermal drapes and regular blinds in the window, but it doesn't seem to be helping and I never open my front door or my windows. I guess my question is, does anyone know of any other suggestions to help me with this problem. I didn't know if I tried regular wood blinds if they would eventually warp??????

Answer 1

I have a similar problem, the whole back of my house is window and I get sun all day long. I just had the windows tinted and it seems to work great. In addition to keeping it cooler it helps to protect the wood floors and the furniture from fading and is also supposed to keep the heat in better in the winter months.. But you do need to get some air circulating through your house. I use Roman shades on the front of my house and sides where one can see in, but the rest is just window, no coverings. Good Luck

Answer 2

We installed an attic fan and in the morning we have a window open on the west side of the house and our blinds closed on the east side. As the day progresses I close the west side window and blinds and go open a window on the east side. The attic fan really pulls air through that one window and helps keep the house really cool. I also have a window open at night so the house gets all that cool night air in and it seems to not lose the cool for at least half the day. The only time the attic fan really doesn't work is if it gets up to 90 or 100 degrees. Then the air outside is so hot that it just can't help. If you aren't familiar with using an attic fan you should know that when it's on you need your attic door open and it's really good to have only one window open. It really doesn't draw as well when there are a lot of windows open. At night we keep that one open window downstairs and we open our bedroom windows a little bit to get some air in our rooms. That won't work unless you leave your bedroom door open. The air has to have a way through. Good luck!

Answer 3

It sounds like you have done enough to the windows already and spending more money there is not going to help.

You only need to drop the temperature 8-10 degrees A ceiling fan can make you feel about 10 degrees cooler. Alternatively, use 2 box fans placed in windows on opposite ends of the house, 1 on the coolest side (usually north) sucking air in and one on a far side window blowing the hot air out. May try an attic fan as well.

Answer 4

You know, my wife and I had the same problem with our living room. We eventually resorted to an attic exhaust fan and installed a Hunter ceiling fan in the living room. The problem is the way the walls were designed and built...the ones that face west. It can still get up to 80-82 degrees in the living room, but the fans really help. Keeping the curtains closed also help...look into 'black-out' curtains at the fabric store, that also helps.

Answer 5

I have the same problem, but with an eastern exposure. I finally got tired of the heat coming through my windows no matter what, and I went to Lowe's (or Home Depot) and bought styrofoam insulation boards (8x4) with a reflective coating on one side. I cut them to fit my windows and put them in between my storm window and the actual window. I didn't put the reflective side out because I thought it would look a little tacky from the outside, but the white side looks fine. It has really made a difference in the temperature of the room, as well as making it feel cooler because of the darkening effect.

Answer 6

Make sure the attic is well vented.
Thermal blinds trap heat between the blinds and window. Get your windows tinted to stop heat in the first place.
Install a whole house ceiling fan to vent the house after sunset when its cooler.

Answer 7

there is a certain white fabric that you can get at the fabric store. Its white on the outside, but the inside is some sort of black material that literally kills the sunlight. You can drape it over a window; but i would suggest trying to put it on a scroll or something so you can open it during the day. But it works GREAT i promise

Answer 8

Any chance you can put awnings up on the west facing windows of your house? You might also consider buying some tinted window film to place over the glass- to cut out the UV light. Hope this helps.

Answer 9

Try using an exterrior sun shade. They come in a wide variety of colors and can even be used as additional security. They can be set to automatically go up and down with sun or manually. They make a big difference and theyre relatively cheap. Unless your pretty handy you might need a carpenter/electrician to help with installation.

Answer 10

Plant some evergreen trees in large flower pots, or try growing a vine on some wooden frames with bird netting attached to it.