Homeowners who live along the coastal areas of southern North Carolina often enjoy the summer season from the comfort of an attached sunroom. While sunrooms are a beautiful, open extension of the home’s living area, they can become quite hot mid-year. A+ Heating & Cooling – Electrical shares how to keep a sunroom cool in the summer so you aren’t left sweating as you relax or entertain.

Tips on how to keep a sunroom cool during the summer

Solar heat gain is a fundamental concern for sunrooms, as the room’s three walls and maybe even the ceiling is lined with large windows. As sunlight hits the glass panes, some of that energy makes its way into the room – adding heat to the space.

Keep your home’s sunroom at a lower and more comfortable temperature with the following tips:

1. Use window coverings to block the sun’s rays and the accompanying heat. Shades and blinds are popular choices for sunroom window coverings and are easily repositioned to provide a clear view when you desire. 
2. Tint your sunroom windows to block out solar heat. Window tinting film or solar window film blocks out solar heat and can also protect furnishings within your sunroom from fading due to UV light exposure. Window films are available in a range of shades, clear, or in varying degrees of tint, reflecting solar heat outside to prevent heat gain inside your sunroom.
3. When replacing windows in a sunroom, choose insulated windows with double- or triple-pane glass. Windows with low-emissive (low-E) coatings reflect solar infrared energy off the glass, limiting heat radiation into the sunroom. Spectrally selective low-E coatings allow full light transmission through the window while filtering 40 to 70 percent of normal heat transmission through the windowpane.
4. Increase insulation in the sunroom to help the space retain cool air and prevent heat infiltration from outdoors. Most sunrooms are built lacking insulation, which makes them very difficult to keep cool because of environmental and solar heat gain. Because solid wall space is limited, installing solid foam or fiberglass insulation boards can create a barrier between you and the heat. Install a vapor barrier and insulation to sunroom floors.
5. Seal air leaks to help your home keep cool air in and prevent hot air infiltration from outdoors. Use caulk or other sealants to close gaps around window frames, door jambs, foundation cracks, exterior wall penetrations, and other problem areas.
6. Add a ceiling fan to your space. Use the fan when the room is occupied and run it in the counterclockwise direction – this motion improves air circulation throughout the space and pushes air back downwards to create a wind-chill feeling as air passes over the skin.
7. Use light-colored flooring, finishes, and furniture when decorating your sunroom. Dark colors absorb heat from sunlight exposure which can cause the room to increase in temperature. Light-colored materials reflect this energy, helping to prevent heat gain.

HVAC help for summer sunroom comfort

You can keep your sunroom cooler in the summer through the use of ventilation techniques as well as HVAC equipment. Check out these solutions that work to rid your sunroom of unwanted heat:

1. Allow hot air to escape as it rises out through roof vents. Installing ventilation fans in the sunroom will help pull warm air up to the ceiling level so that it can be discharged through the vents. 
2. Generate better airflow to expel hot air from your sunroom. Run fans near floor level to push hot air upwards and out through vents on the sunroom’s roof. The fan’s air circulation also prevents the indoor environment from feeling hot and stagnant while you relax.
3. If you’re looking for some serious cooling power, have a ductless mini-split cooling unit installed in your sunroom! Ductless mini-splits are the perfect cooling solution for spaces such as sunrooms. Sunrooms are typically composed of different building materials than the home’s main structure and may have been added onto the home and not accounted for when the home’s central HVAC system was designed.

Sunroom cooling solutions for your home

Keeping your Ocean Isle Beach, Shallotte, or Wilmington, NC sunroom cool in summer doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you only have the time and budget for some simple changes or are ready to invest in upgrades to maximize comfort and energy efficiency, there is a solution for your sunroom! For the ventilation and HVAC solutions, you need to keep your sunroom cool and comfortable this summer, contact A+ Heating & Cooling – Electrical today.