My house is facing E-W and getting direct sun all day here in FloridaI just finished siding last Sumer by using a insulation with tight dead air space, my bed room window facing the East has blind shut all day to block the sun, however, my bed room gets hotter than the rest of the room, plus entire indoor house is hotter than even out side especially in the eveningWhy is this, and what can I do ? (do not wish to spend money too much since I just finish putting $30K into this home.
Quite the dillema you haveIf you replace one the air will rush out of the other and vice versaI would suggest setting some kind of schedule and replacing say, one window a month until they are done and then establish a similar schedule for the insulationAt least the windows would improve the way your house looks at the same time right?
Get the insulation done firstYou can do the quick fixes to the windows yourself to help stop the air leaks until you can afford to have them replacedSome caulk and weather stripping won't cost you a lot and you should be able to complete it in a weekend or two depending on the number of windows you have.
Fixing the insulation would show the most improvement in terms of heat/cool air retentionMaking sure that there is enough insulation in the attic and outside walls, as well as an adequate vapor barrier would dramatically help with energy savingsPlus, in the mean time, you can do small repairs to windows by removing the old caulking and replacing it.
I just replaced both my windows and insulated my ceilingThe insulation made a big impact right awayThe windows are much less of an areaI would insulate the walls because more heat and cold can be lost though thereAs for the windows, do the best you can to seal up leaksCaulk is cheap and if you can seal the leaks that is the biggest problem with windowsNewer windows do help, but the insulation and a bit of caulk would be much more effective.
Window tint is an optionOr if you could spend some money Insulated windows with Low E coating and argon gas between the panes will make a big differenceAlso a well vented attic with good insulation can make a big difference tooAnother way to block the sun from your windows is to install window awnings on the outsideYou can also make sure all your doors and windows seal up good soa s to not let your coo air from the AC escape or let hot air in.
