Window blinds

[destrucktion]

Greetings. I live in San Antonio area of Texas, so it's very hot in the summer. My house faces east/west, with our living room and kitchen area on the west side windows. Our daughter's room is the east facing side. Our windows had wood blinds installed already when we bought it. I like the natural light coming in from the windows so I don't have to turn lights on, and we usually keep the blinds mostly/totally closed to help keep out the sun and some of the heat. I open the blinds somewhat during the day to let in some light, but not when the sun is directly blazing in (like in the morning, or the winter months where I open windows if it's cool enough out). I don't want to put curtains up to block the light. Do you have any thoughts or ideas on how to help keep out more of the heat without using curtains? Thank you.

[catherine]

Can you put an awning over your windows on the outside? That would keep the sun from striking the windows directly and would probably help a lot.

Alternatively, it's not the best solution if you like natural light, but honeycomb shades filter light and trap heat. I have a southeast-facing window that gets so hot and bright in my home office, I have to pull down the shades because it's very hot and my eyes can't take the bright sun. The shades work really well to insulate and you can get the kind that minimally filters light. Also you can get blinds that you can pull down or up. Here's a link to the type of blind I mean. https://www.selectblinds.com/cellula...l?ColorId=9003

[frugal-one]

Second the awning.

[ToomuchStuff]

There is some window screens that are black in nature that block out more, but I think it would block out some more light as well. Window tint is another.

[Rogar]

I have seen roller type window shades that block the direct sun but have one way see through. It shouldn't take much searching to find them. They don't have much insulating qualities. I have all cellular blinds for their insulating qualities and they have various degrees of light filtering, but maybe not quite see through.

[jp1]

The two bedrooms in the second floor of our house face the southwest and like rogar mentions we have considered roll down shades on the outside of the house. We haven’t done it but it seems like the best option.

I actually tried a different option of buying a low EV film to put on the inside of those windows and it doesn’t work. It distorts the view out of the windows and seems to do nothing as far as blocking the heat. Because I bought from Amazon I was able to return the remainder of the roll and get a full refund.

[JaneV2.0]

I basically live in a terrarium; this is what I used: https://smile.amazon.com/Coavas-Wind...95&sr=8-5&th=1used:

[befree]

I think you're gonna have to sacrifice one thing or another. I, too, live in Texas, and this summer has been hotter than usual. Even though I love natural light, I keep my blinds down almost all the time, to block the sunlight. This, and fans in every room, have helped the most. I also have double-pane windows, which help with cutting the heat, but it was a big investment. My previous house had awnings, AND indoor blinds, AND cheap matchstick blinds nailed up over the outside, too. No view at all. A friend swears by the UV blocking film to cut the heat, but she admits it distorts her view.

[miteigenenhaenden]

I sewed an inexpensive variant. It helps against cold in winter and against heat in summer.

[nswef]

Very clever and it looks nice, too. mitegenenhaenden