How to Keep Your Sunroom Functional Throughout the Year?
Sunrooms are an amazing way to add more value to your home. They make a home look posher and more appealing. Moreover, they help keep heating costs low which allows you to save a lot on utility bills.
A sunroom is an enclosed space that keeps insects and bugs out so that you can experience leisure outdoors while being in a protected space. Also, sunrooms are shielded spaces where you can enjoy the outdoor sights of rain and snow, without getting exposed to cold and extreme weather. This means you can have all the fun outdoor without any exposure to outdoor challenges.
If you live in areas such as California, then you must get a sunroom for your property because of the extreme weather in winter. The cold, rain, snowfall, and other weather conditions are severe.
Therefore, having a sunroom offers a lot of benefits. However, the summer is pretty pleasant due to which the sunroom is not required. The presence of a sunroom in summer is rather discouraged because it adds to the air-conditioning cost.
It remains a dilemma whether you should have a sunroom or not because it remains functional only for a few months of the year. In this blog, we have suggested a few ways to keep your sunroom functional for the whole year. With these measures, you can benefit from the sunroom to its optimum level.
What to do in winter?
Install Heating System along with Insulation
During winter, two things will help you keep the Sunrooms Sonoma warm in the absence of sunlight. First, install a good heating system that regulates the indoor temperature.
It will warm up the room artificially. To protect this heat from escaping, insulate the exterior walls. Good quality insulation will keep your room warmer for a longer time. You won’t need a heating system that frequently. Hence, the heating cost can be minimized.
Shield frames
The heating system will have to keep performing if there is even a small leakage in the sunroom. Hot air can escape through the small gap in window panes and also from the window frame. To ensure that there are no leakages, use weather-stripping or clear caulk to seal these gaps in windows.
Insulate windows
Once you have ensured that there is no opening, big or small, from where hot air can escape and cold air can enter; it is time to insulate the window also.
There are several options for window insulations. While solid insulation is more efficient with a better R-value, it obstructs the view you want to enjoy in rain. We suggest getting clear insulation such as plastic. It improves the energy efficiency of your windows.
Window tint
Colored windows also prevent heat from escaping. Colored windows help retain heat within the sunroom in two ways. First, they prevent the radiation from leaving the room. Second, they allow sunlight to enter the space. Tinted windows are an efficient way to retain heat and allow more outdoor heat to enter a space without obstructing the view.
Use insulated drapes
If you want to have a clear window, then there are other options for insulation. These days you can easily find drapes made of insulated fabric from the market. These drapes are very helpful in retaining heat in the sunroom. They form another barrier against the heat.
They can be done and undone as per your requirement. Once the sun is out, and you wish the room open to accepting radiation, all you have to do is undo the drapes. These drapes are helpful even if you have solid windows because they form an added layer of insulation.
A ceiling fan can also help
Quite surprisingly, a ceiling fan can help in keeping the room warm because if you switch it on at a very low speed, it will not make air but only spread the warmth throughout the room. A ceiling fan does not contribute to creating warmth for the room, but it can help in the distribution of the heat equally.
What to do in summer?
This is the kindest time of the year. The sun is out and you can have all the parties and soirees you have always been planning and wanting.
It is the time you have waited for the whole year. It is the season for which you got a sunroom installed in the first place.
Sunrooms can become extremely hot during the summer. This happens because of the greenhouse effect which allows the sunlight to enter the room but does not let it escape from that room. The heat keeps trapping in the room, raising the temperature, and making it unbearably hot. You need to turn on air-conditioning to counter the heat, which adds to utility bills.
Allow fresh air to enter
A heated-up room can be cooled down with ventilation. Allow more fresh air to enter the room, which will replace the hot air inside the sunroom, and bring down the temperature.
You can open the windows, or install ventilation fans for this purpose. Ventilation fans are a great way to keep the sunroom atmosphere clean and healthy.
Insulated windows
Insulation is a protective layer against radiation. Insulation on the exterior side of the sunroom prevents solar radiation to enter the sunroom and heating it.
If you want better results on temperature regulation, then better get the windows insulated also. If you haven’t done so at the time of construction, then you can always go for insulated drapes.
Tinted windows can help
While insulated windows are an ideal way to keep the sunroom temperature normal, they have to be installed in the room during the construction of the sunroom. Once the room is built, then there are other options to keep the temperature regulated.
Clear windows allow radiation to enter the room whereas tinted glass filters out radiation, and prevents some of the heat to enter the sunroom. Colored windows can also block the light, but that is not as big of a concern as receiving direct scorching heat in summer.
Curtain and drapes
Sunrooms are great, but they can become quite a headache during hot months. They are designed in a way to heat the space. If you want them to stop heating any further, bring in a layer of blocking material. Install blinds or curtains to create a barrier to sunlight.
We suggest hanging them on the outer side of the window, so that they deal with the sunlight directly, and filter out most of it. Once the blinds have blocked the radiation from entering the sunroom, you can take another measure to keep out the warmth by hanging insulated drapes on the inner side of the window.
For a wide range of high-quality Sun Rooms solutions and outdoor living solutions, visit Morgan Outdoor Living. We provide a variety of solutions that can add more value to your property and more luxury to your lifestyle. At Morgan outdoor living, we deal with outdoor fencing.
Whether you want Ornamental Iron Fence or a vinyl fence, whether you want a customized solution or a readymade fence; we are here to provide you with the solution that you want. To know more about us, visit our website.
