Hello everyone!
We have a semi-detached house from 1921 with good insulation and fairly new windows from 2017, which we also bought in 2017. Unfortunately, it currently has no external shading. Our house stays cool for a long time, but the longer a heatwave lasts, the more it heats up. When temperatures stay above 30°C (86°F) for several days, even the best insulation can’t prevent the heat build-up. The living room and one child’s bedroom face east, so the sun beats down relentlessly on them until around 1 to 2 p.m., and for the rooms facing west, the sun arrives around that time as well. We now want to retrofit external shading as protection against heat. Below you’ll find the types of windows we have. The lower transom windows cannot be opened. There is no electrical wiring in the window reveals.
Based on my current research, the only really practical solution here seems to be an external roller shutter. Electric operation would likely be too much effort to retrofit; manual operation would mean drilling into four-year-old windows (thermal bridge?). They are PVC-aluminum windows, and we did not cut any corners there. Then there are various types of clip-on blinds, but those are ruled out because of the lower transoms and usability, right?
Our main priority is really effective protection against heat. We could also consider external blinds (such as Venetian blinds) if the operation works well. Since we all like to sleep in complete darkness, very good blackout capability would be a bonus, although our internal roller blinds already do quite well in that regard. We are the type who like to ventilate early in the morning and then keep everything tightly closed until evening during hot periods, because we just can’t take the heat otherwise—we are definitely not sun-lovers. The external window reveals have a depth of 22.5cm (9 inches), so there is quite a bit of space there for solutions recessed into the niche.
I wanted to tap into your collective experience here. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees or imagine problems where none exist.
Attached are the types of windows we have.
We have a semi-detached house from 1921 with good insulation and fairly new windows from 2017, which we also bought in 2017. Unfortunately, it currently has no external shading. Our house stays cool for a long time, but the longer a heatwave lasts, the more it heats up. When temperatures stay above 30°C (86°F) for several days, even the best insulation can’t prevent the heat build-up. The living room and one child’s bedroom face east, so the sun beats down relentlessly on them until around 1 to 2 p.m., and for the rooms facing west, the sun arrives around that time as well. We now want to retrofit external shading as protection against heat. Below you’ll find the types of windows we have. The lower transom windows cannot be opened. There is no electrical wiring in the window reveals.
Based on my current research, the only really practical solution here seems to be an external roller shutter. Electric operation would likely be too much effort to retrofit; manual operation would mean drilling into four-year-old windows (thermal bridge?). They are PVC-aluminum windows, and we did not cut any corners there. Then there are various types of clip-on blinds, but those are ruled out because of the lower transoms and usability, right?
Our main priority is really effective protection against heat. We could also consider external blinds (such as Venetian blinds) if the operation works well. Since we all like to sleep in complete darkness, very good blackout capability would be a bonus, although our internal roller blinds already do quite well in that regard. We are the type who like to ventilate early in the morning and then keep everything tightly closed until evening during hot periods, because we just can’t take the heat otherwise—we are definitely not sun-lovers. The external window reveals have a depth of 22.5cm (9 inches), so there is quite a bit of space there for solutions recessed into the niche.
I wanted to tap into your collective experience here. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees or imagine problems where none exist.
Attached are the types of windows we have.
H
hampshire18 Apr 2021 13:56I mentioned the automation option because of the requirement for easy handling. I wouldn’t need it myself. The Italia awnings are compact, provide shade, and still let in daylight. However, they do not darken the space for early or late midsummer night rest.
We have a similar problem to yours and sometimes find it unbearable in summer. We have aluminum shutter panels, exterior blinds on the roof windows, and after ventilating at night, we close everything during the day in summer. Still, after a prolonged heatwave, it eventually gets too warm, and then you can’t get the heat out even at night.
In the end, we got a split air conditioning unit, and honestly, it has been the best investment in years. Forget about ecology. Now, in summer, the house stays comfortably cool no matter how long the heatwave lasts. And if you trust our meteorologists, things aren’t going to get any better in the coming years.
In the end, we got a split air conditioning unit, and honestly, it has been the best investment in years. Forget about ecology. Now, in summer, the house stays comfortably cool no matter how long the heatwave lasts. And if you trust our meteorologists, things aren’t going to get any better in the coming years.
Winniefred18 Apr 2021 16:51Georgie schrieb:
We have a similar problem to you and sometimes find it unbearable in the summer. We have aluminum folding shutters, external blinds on the roof windows, and after airing out at night in summer, everything is shut during the day. Still, after a prolonged heat period, it eventually gets too warm, and then you can’t get rid of the heat at night either.
In the end, we bought a split air conditioning unit, and honestly, it was the best investment in years. We didn’t care about the ecology. Now in summer, the house stays nicely cool no matter how long the heat wave lasts. And if you believe our meteorologists, it’s not going to get better in the coming years. I think you must be more sensitive than we are^^. 2017 was the last typical German summer here, and even without shading it wasn’t a problem at all. A few warm or hot days aren’t an issue, but when it’s hot for weeks, it truly gets warm. The windows are the key factor. In midsummer, our best-insulated attic floor is actually the coolest level because we also have external roller shutters there.
I’ll take a look at those sliding shutters from Italy @hampshire
@Kobrakai I don’t think window film is a good solution for us; so far, I haven’t seen any that looked good visually.
H
hampshire18 Apr 2021 17:36Winniefred schrieb:
2017 was the last typical German summer hereSince 1996, summers have consistently been above the reference value from 1961 to 1990. Even the summer of 2017, which we remember as "normal," was hot.I really like your approach of using external shading instead of immediately relying on energy consumption for cooling.
In a way, it’s paradoxical: we build houses with better insulation to reduce energy use, but then find that the insulation also makes it harder to get rid of accumulated heat in the summer, so air conditioning is installed. This basically undermines the efficiency, and life becomes more isolated from the outdoors. I know this from countries where people move from one air-conditioned building to air-conditioned vehicles and then into the next air-conditioned space. It’s hard to say whether we are just "sensitive" or simply "conditioned."
Winniefred18 Apr 2021 17:45Well, air conditioning and other energy-intensive appliances are completely out of the question. I have an eco-friendly mindset, at least for the most part. I travel a lot by train and bike, shop at package-free stores and buy locally, and as a family of four, we consume only about 2200 kWh of electricity per year... a number that has been decreasing for years. Gas and water usage are on a similarly low level. I garden organically, preserve fruit for the winter, plant in a way that is friendly to wildlife, and so on. Air conditioning and anything similar just don’t fit into this concept. (But don’t worry, I’m not a pushy environmentalist 😱 😎, I’ve just made these choices for myself and my personal conscience).
The summer of 2017 was at least the last summer I considered normal^^.
After more thorough research, it seems I really have only two options left: 1. Solar shutters or 2. Window shutters. Visually, my old building enthusiast’s heart would naturally favor option 2. However, for some windows, only folding shutters would be possible due to limited space and window tightness. And for aesthetic reasons, ideally all windows would be fitted with them. So overall, option 1 would ultimately be significantly more affordable.
The summer of 2017 was at least the last summer I considered normal^^.
After more thorough research, it seems I really have only two options left: 1. Solar shutters or 2. Window shutters. Visually, my old building enthusiast’s heart would naturally favor option 2. However, for some windows, only folding shutters would be possible due to limited space and window tightness. And for aesthetic reasons, ideally all windows would be fitted with them. So overall, option 1 would ultimately be significantly more affordable.
Similar topics