The temperatures in FL are starting to go up and pretty soon we'll be back in the heat and humidity. Does anyone have any good, inexpensive suggestions for something to put on the inside of my home's windows to help keep out the awful heat?
Last year I tried using the window film that you can put on car windows and that did absolutely nothing, plus it was a nightmare to put on the windows. Our housing association doesn't want anybody to put aluminum foil on their windows, either. I can't afford shutters, but I need something so that when the heat is at its worst, especially in the afternoon during July and August my house doesn't feel like a furnace.
Even with the AC running, it still is super hot. Not only that, but the AC runs constantly and our electric bills are out of sight. I'd like to be able to save some money, too.
By Louise from Port Charlotte, FL
Here in southeast NC I use the window film plus rubber backed drapes. I use the kind of film that only allows 5 percent of the light to come through. And I've never had any problem putting it up, taking it down, or reusing it the next year.
My house faces directly into the hottest part of the afternoon sun and between the film and the drapes, plus setting fans around to keep the air stirring, I normally don't have to turn the a/c on till it gets close to or over 100.
By the way, we also have the humidity like you have there. Actually our weather here in summer is almost identical to yours.
I think attaching roll-up shades to the eaves of the house or apartment really help. That keeps the sun from hitting the glass altogether. On really hot days, I extend the shades their full length to shade the glass and part of the wall of the building, this seems to help. Then on cloudy or windy days, I roll the shades up. But of course this is for the outside. I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas for the inside other than those already suggested.
My husband and I had the same problem and we went to a home improvement store and bought the kits to make your own solar screen. It has made all the difference in the world! It was very easy to make and it just replaced the screens that were existing in our window. You could use the screen frames you have, if you have screens on your window, and buy the solar screen material. It's cheap and easy.
I live in Florida. To keep the heat out I purchased colored shower liners that match my drapes and shears. I put them up to the windows. It blocks the heat, looks good from the outside and matches my drapes and shears on the inside. My home stays cooler and the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard which keeps my bill lower in the summer.
