Window awnings will cut air-conditioning costs
Q. We need to block the intense heat from coming through my windows and door glass. We want to install awnings, but are not sure what is the proper size or material to get. What do you recommend?
A. The sun shining in through windows and doors can quickly overheat a room. This is the same basic greenhouse effect that is warming the Earth. The sun's short-wave-length heat energy easily passes through glass into your house. Once in there, it becomes long-wave-length energy. Glass is relatively opaque to this, so it stays trapped indoors.
Closing curtains and drapes can help trap the sun's heat near the window, but it has already gotten indoors through the glass. In contrast, awnings block the sun's direct rays before entering your house, so they are more effective for reducing air-conditioning costs. Studies have shown awnings can reduce cooling needs by 24 percent in Boston, 21 percent in Phoenix and 17 percent in St. Louis.
From an energy-saving standpoint, the size of the awning is more important than the material. It should shade your window or door from the direct sun's rays, especially midafternoon when it is hottest. Even though the sun is most intense and direct around noon, it is very high in the sky, so just the roof overhang is often enough to shade windows.
If you remember your high school trigonometry, it is possible to calculate the size (projection from the wall) of a fixed awning needed for shading windows and doors. The size depends upon the latitude of your area. As your location is farther north, the sun is lower in the sky so a larger awning is needed.
If you are not a math whiz, just make a test awning from cardboard to determine the proper size for a fixed awning. Fixed, hood-type awnings with sides are a good choice because they increase the shading period throughout the day.
An adjustable awning is often the best choice because its projection can be changed with the seasons of the year and actually throughout the day if needed. Keep in mind; you probably want the sun to shine in the window during winter for free solar heating. The awning can be adjusted high enough to allow the sun rays in yet still provide protection from rain.
The two most common materials used for awnings are aluminum and cloth fabric. Aluminum awnings are extremely durable and, unless they are damaged from an impact, can last a lifetime. Fabric awnings are generally more attractive and offer more design, color and styling flexibility.
Another advantage of fabric awnings is the adjustable ones can be lowered almost flat against the window. This provides protection from harsh weather and driving rains. Adjustable aluminum awnings typically cannot be lowered as far, but their strength provides excellent protection.
The following companies offer window awnings: Awntech, (800) 200-5997, www.awntech.com; Craft-Bilt, (800) 422-8577, www.craftbilt.com; K. E. Durasol Awnings, (888) 387-2765, www.keoutdoordesign.us; Eastern Awning, (800) 445-4142, www.easternawning.com; and General Awnings, (888) 768-8404, www.generalawnings.com.
Q. I have always heard you should keep a refrigerator and freezer reasonably full to make it operate most efficiently. How do I determine what "reasonably full" means?
A. Reasonably full means having the shelves of the refrigerator portion almost completely covered with a typical array of various-size containers, bottles and cans. It is important to allow space for air to circulate freely around the inside of the refrigerator.
Although the freezer portion also needs some air flow through it, you can pack more frozen foods in tighter. Keeping it full also helps keep the freezer portion cold if there is an extended power outage.
• Write to James Dulley at 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit dulley.com.