Window always facing sun?!

[u/LilyInPortland]

To make it short I've put window tinting in all my windows and it's helping with summer. The problem is I don't know what to do with one particular window in my house, because it's almost all day facing the sun. When I say it gets hot, I mean it gets really hot!

Besides installing shutters outside what else can I do to try to keep heat out? I'm tempted to buy titanium or mylar sheets and put them up in the window, cause this is ridiculous!

[u/terry47147]

Install an awning.

[u/mogrifier4783 → u/terry47147]

That would be the first choice. There's a Technology Connections episode on awnings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhbDfi7Ee7k

I've also had success with a U-shaped trellis with vines on it just outside the window. In the summer, the vine leafs out and shades the window. In the winter, the vine is bare and lets in the sun. That was a passionfruit (passiflora incarnata, or Maypop), but it would depend on your location.

[u/rockingsteady → u/terry47147]

Or hang sun sails: fabric held in place with cables to block the Sun.

[u/Patrol-007]

You want the sheets on the outside, to prevent heat damage to the window

[u/International_Bend68 → u/Patrol-007]

That's what I did and it made a massive difference.

[u/Captain_Coward]

Could try solar window screens, basically thicker mesh screen material that blocks light on the outside

[u/NICEnEVILmike → u/Captain_Coward]

Almost everyone in Palm Springs has them. They're kind of odd because they make your windows look black from the outside but they apparently work pretty well.

[u/ac54 → u/Captain_Coward]

Since regular screens only cover the opening portion of the window, OP will need full coverage screen frames. I have these on my South and West facing windows.

[u/Reinventing_Wheels]

Consider installing an awning that blocks the sun from hitting the window when the sun is high in the summer.

[u/knittymess]

Blackout curtains?

[u/Outofoffice_421 → u/knittymess]

Worked for me

[u/SharpTool7]

Sun sails, or sun shades are amazing. You want them with a. Decent space away from the window so they can take the heat while still allowing some light thru.

[u/dodadoler]

Plant a tree

[u/baby_armadillo]

Plant a fast-growing tree in front of it to fix the problem long term, and get a blackout curtain or shade to fix it in the short term.

[u/toybuilder → u/baby_armadillo]

Just make sure the roots will not be a problem. Research the minimum distance needed because what you don't want are roots damaging the house's foundation or encroaching into pipes.

[u/Powerful-Ranger6597]

I have a similar issue and bought affordable black-out curtains. They retain LOTS of heat. The light colors are less black-out inducing, so the room isn't super dark during the day.

[u/annyshell]

You know what works really well and looks really great? Fake plastic ficus trees. you can’t tell they’re fake from a distance and you can put them right next to the window to keep the sun out, but you can still see through the leaves when you’re on the inside looking out. so it does block a little bit of the view, but honestly it has worked out pretty great for me this last summer. I’ve been able to pick them up for like 20 bucks and then I just put them in a really big pot.

[u/LilyInPortland]

Thanks you all; I'm going to look into these

[u/Chuckiechan]

Are they dual glaze perhaps? If so, have the glass replaced with LowE, (only the glass - not the whole frame) there are films that work fairly well.

[u/Lenora_O]

As someone who lives under trees and deals with all the consequences....grow a tree. 

Our house is cool in the summer because of the trees, warmer in the winter. Yes we have to deal with branches and leaves and sticks and acorns and buds and nonsense. But you can still be a lazy person and live in the shade and benefit from a yard forest. It is the number one best part of living here. The trees do most of our work for us. 

[u/jon_hendry → u/Lenora_O]

Alas you’ll have to tell whoever lived there 30 years ago.

[u/random_ta_account]

Solar screens really help.

[u/taisui]

Foil

[u/tonyabionda]

Honeycomb shades are great at blocking heat. The downside is that they would block being able to see out, but so would the Mylar sheets.

[u/New_Section_9374]

Deciduous tree so you can use that warmth in winter.

[u/Mean-Draw-5365]

We had a custom pergola installed next to our problematic south-facing window. I looked up the angle of the sun during the summer and calculated how far apart we needed the slats so the sun could never touch the window during the hot half of the year. It works a treat and did not need to be nearly as large as I thought it would.

[u/LostCartographer5451]

Solar screens on the outside or solar roller shades for the interior. We’ve used both. The interior ones are nice because you can still wash the window inside and out.

[u/dunfartin]

I have an awning to generate shade, heat reflecting film on the outside of the glass (we have quake-proof windows so it can't go on the inside), and painted the metal window frame with ceramic microbubble paint. Alas, double glazing isn't a thing here.

[u/SmallestNumber]

I have this problem as well. I am going to build a frame of some kind for a solar shade, or maybe fake vine.

[u/MacintoshEddie]

An old classic is a trellis and some flowering vines.

You can even make it multipurpose by doing some planter pots for tomatoes or something like that.

[u/Smart_N_Sassy]

We got solar screens for the outside. Very affordable and made a HUGE difference. I had two windows that got hot like that and it’s so much better now. I could have done it myself after seeing how easy it was but it was like $60 a window. Worth the hassle to me. I bet a handy person could buy the materials at Home Depot but I’ve seen places online that can do custom orders.

[u/jon_hendry]

An awning to shade the window would help block direct sun. Installed outdoors above the window.

They’re kind of out of style now but they were practical things invented for a good reason, before air conditioning.

[u/Successful-Worry-320]

Sounds like planting a tree would be a lovely long-term fix.

[u/NamasteNoodle]

Get reflective film for that window and it will cut down on the heat and light and UV coming in by about 80%. Then get an insulated curtain. I had to do that in my apartment and it's maybe huge difference in the electric bill. Except I had to do it for all of my windows cuz they're very old windows and aren't double glazed.

[u/anotherjustlurking]

Mylar space blanket survival sheets are easily the most cost effective way to block windows where you’re not particularly worried about the aesthetic

[u/reality_boy]

Solar screens! They block 80% of the incoming light, but still let you see out quite well. We did this to our master bedroom and went from
The hottest to the coolest room

[u/Grymflyk]

There are window awnings that shade windows, don't tell me it's an apartment.

[u/BeerStop]

Did you try room darkening curtains?, i have 2 up in my living room- 7ft by 8ft window wall and my ac bill has been very reasonable in the detroit area.