EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Skylight Exterior Covers to save on summer A/C costs

stevehull · 12-20-14, 05:10 AM

An interior diffuser will just heat up and will not reflect much heat out. Shade cloth is the secret! I use these on my outside livestock pavilions to provide shade, but allow some light through. You can get them with blockages from 25-90%.

Not expensive and the fabric lasts a long time.

Another alternative is to apply a reflective firm to the window. But again, if the film is on the inside, then it heats up and then generates heat.

A third alternative is the slotted mesh metal. This is a material with stamped tiny fins oriented at about 45 degrees. You put this in to block the solar parahelion at about 11 am - 2 pm. Think of a gazebo with vertical 2x12s that are oriented to block the peak solar intrusion at noon. Mesh is on the outside of the window.

Steve

12-20-14, 05:10 AM	#2
stevehull Steve Hull Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: hilly, tree covered Arcadia, OK USA Posts: 826 Thanks: 241 Thanked 165 Times in 123 Posts	An interior diffuser will just heat up and will not reflect much heat out. Shade cloth is the secret! I use these on my outside livestock pavilions to provide shade, but allow some light through. You can get them with blockages from 25-90%. Not expensive and the fabric lasts a long time. Another alternative is to apply a reflective firm to the window. But again, if the film is on the inside, then it heats up and then generates heat. A third alternative is the slotted mesh metal. This is a material with stamped tiny fins oriented at about 45 degrees. You put this in to block the solar parahelion at about 11 am - 2 pm. Think of a gazebo with vertical 2x12s that are oriented to block the peak solar intrusion at noon. Mesh is on the outside of the window. Steve __________________ consulting on geothermal heating/cooling & rational energy use since 1990 Last edited by stevehull; 12-20-14 at 05:26 AM..