exterior skylight shades? trying to reduce heat gain...
slowjane CA/ Sunset 21
9 years ago
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Windows on Washington Ltd
9 years agoslowjane CA/ Sunset 21
9 years agoRelated Discussions
ideas on reducing heating bills...
Comments (47)Every home is different, but I think the basic strategy for insulating a home should go in this order: 1) Attic: seal all air leaks and then insulate to R-value for your area. Include in attic sealing any and all ventilators, flues, recessed lighting, etc. 2) Floor: seal all air leaks and insulate to about 1/4 to 1/2 R value of attic. 3) Walls: Seal any leaks and insulate to recommended R-value. 4) Windows: Seal any air leaks and replace with low-E insulated windows. I address the heating system separately but this may be a priority if it's in real bad shape. Often ducted systems in older homes can have major leaks, so a complete inspection is in order. After I sealed my 64 year old home's attic air leaks and insulated to between R-13 and R-25, I saw a 30% drop in winter heating gas consumption. The home had been remodeled in the 60's, and there were some very major air leaks going on. Mainly, a centrally located cooktop hood with no damper, defective damper in fireplace in adjoining family room, and various gaps around ceiling light and fan fixtures. The following year I insulated under the floor of the master bed/bath, and sealed some pretty major heating duct leaks (some gaps were big enough to stick a hand into!) and insulated the outside of the ductwork to R-5. I also boosted the attic insulation to between R-38 and R-50. After this I saw another approx. 15% drop in heating gas consumption. Plus the home is much more comfortable without all those drafts going on. My next project is to finish insulating under the rest of the rooms, and finish wrapping insulation around a few more feet of heating duct down there. At some point, it would be nice to replace the windows, but it's not a priority. Note: before insulating an uninsulated attic, make sure the attic eaves/soffits are properly ventilated. Insulating an inadequately vented attic can result in condensation and moisture damage....See MoreLow-e vs solar gain vs window treatments
Comments (22)Hi ZIns, Oberon offered professional technical details so I will chime in with homeowner experience. Yes, even with Low-E, there will be fading. Depending on the amount and intensity of exposure and the finish, it is a matter of how much and how soon. In a situation where the sun is very mild and light, by the time fading is noticeable, it may also be time to refinish the floor. My guess is the floor is not receiving year-round exposure, true? The sun is stronger and deeper during some time of the year and weaker and less intense at other times, is that so? We have seasonal sun intensity problem too and solve it with a combination of solution. We use rugs to protect several sections of our floor during mid-Spring through late Summer. The rugs are removed to prevent tripping when we have visitors. The rugs are also removed around Autumn when the sun is low and the exposure is much less intense and shortening each day. We have old furniture in one area by our French doors and my wife made knitted coverings to cover the furniture. As necessary, we remove the covering when appropriate. Outside the French doors, we installed retractable awning so that during extremely hot summer days, the awning extends to provide cover without blocking natural light. Our goal is to not use any window treatment because we enjoy natural light and the views. Hope this helps a bit....See MoreDelayed 3 Years But Gained 16"...Need Layout Advice!
Comments (34)Buehl: I do not have to do anything in the layout options and am open to any ideas that make the most of the space I have. We are gutting everything. The original designer had pantries 24" wide by 15" deep so I just kept them that way and concentrated on the kitchen layout by stealing more space from the dining area than she originally allotted. In her design I had one 30 inch drawer stack and the rest (other than the trash pullout) were 12 inches...yuck and a major reason for pause! I discovered the help on this site only after family issues forced postponing the kitchen remodel. I have two 24" wide x 12" reach-ins now, and they hold a lot of staples and appliances. If I kept her original idea but increased the reach-in width would it be too much visually? I think I would rather have more reach-in space than so much counter and wall cabs in the "hutch" area. She did show me a rendering of all reach-ins along the back wall, but it was just too much solid wall-to-ceiling door fronts for me visually. Right now, I have a hutch that will be moved to an in-the-making office/memorabilia room so DH can finally display his "treasures." The wall does not need to stay, but one of my husband's biggest concerns is "Where are the light switches going to go? Unfortunately, the French door swings in (only the half farthest from the back wall; the other half is stationary( and it leads to a deck. The only time that door is used is during the summer when we host family parties. It cannot be changed...we replaced a leaking sliding door 10 years ago. I like my brick and stucco exterior, but repair is expensive, costly, and it's almost impossible to find the craftsmen to do the work. I think I answered everything. I do want to sincerely thank you for sharing your PPT design file!!!! As a retired teacher, it is a program I am comfortable using, and your templates were so easy to use and manipulating the design elements was a breeze....See MoreInterior vs. exterior solar shades
Comments (8)Love my exterior Koolaroos! They stop heat before it enters the house, so yes, the company is right about not heating up the glass. Koolaroos were about 50 USD per 4' x 5' window so the price is right. There are many factors to consider for any window covering: * Size (huge window? any solution will cost more) * Accessibility (can you easily reach the window location to manually operate shades? if not, you may need motorized which sends cost skyward and often, reliability downward) * Wind (outdoor shades always need anchoring, indoor ones may too, depending on whether you open the windows and what your typical winds and exposure are) - Can wind anchoring hold shades in just full open or full closed, or can you have an intermediate position with anchoring? How do you operate anchoring? * Appearance (very visible location where HOA demands perfection, or concealed sideyard where nobody cares?) * How often will you need/want to adjust shade position? Multiple times daily? Or just when seasons change? * Durability and resistance to UV, windblown soil (dirt/greasy pollen/air pollution/bird droppings/collected leaves etc.), water including standing or freezing water etc. etc. - UV is very damaging to materials that aren't treated to resist it. Insist on UV-designed materials, otherwise your window coverings shred to bits in just a few seasons if your location is sunny And above all, just think very hard about what your main goals and expectations are, throughout the day and with the change of seasons and weather. This can vary from window to window as each has a different exposure....See Moreslowjane CA/ Sunset 21
9 years agoWindows on Washington Ltd
9 years agoslowjane CA/ Sunset 21
9 years agoHomeSealed_WI
9 years agobpchiil
9 years agoslowjane CA/ Sunset 21
9 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
9 years agorosiew
9 years agomillworkman
9 years agolazy_gardens
9 years agoSimon Merrell
4 years ago
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