Controlling solar gain in your house is critical if you want to reduce your energy consumption and make a more livable and comfortable environment. Most homes are built with an extensive southern exposure, which means during hot summer months sunshine pours into the house and significantly increases the temperature.
Low-e windows. Unlike the single-pane windows of old, today's low-e (low-emission), doube-glazed, argon-filled, so-called "smart" windows can be customized for your needs. If you live in a cold climate, you can purchase a window that in winter will maximize solar gain while reducing heat loss (U-factor) out of the home. Or in hot climates, you can have the reverse, a window that allows only 39% of solar gain into the home during sunlit days.
Curtains. If new windows are not in your budget, how about some solar curtains to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter? Inexpensive and readily available from online vendors, solar curtains are made of silvery, non-transparent polyethylene and hang right over your existing curtain rods. Though not as attractive as a low-e film, solar curtains and screens are ideal solutions for seldom-used rooms or while you are on vacation.
Awnings. A more permanent passive solution to reducing solar gain is to install shade-providing awnings over your southern- and western-exposed windows. Unlike the hulks of aluminum common a few years, most of today's window awnings are made from long-lasting canvas. New designs are streamlined, attractive, and can provide cooling shade without destroying your view. Do-it-yourself kits are available and most can put up in a weekend.
Trees. You do not have to know much about trees to realize that they can provide value, shade, and beauty to your home. Deciduous trees like maples, oaks, and walnuts shed all their leaves every year, which means they can provide shade for your home, driveway, and patio during the hot summer months and then allow the sun to warm your home during winter. Pine trees and hedges can block cold winds as well as noise pollution from the street and offer backyard privacy. When selecting trees, make sure to plant ones that are appropriate to your climate, native to your area (and therefore more pest- and disease-resistant), and require no additional precious resources (like water) to thrive.
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