Comment by rob74
3 hours ago
> We have efficient heat pumps and solar panels, but it's still a disturbing amount of energy usage and something I'm trying to debug. Perhaps we have too many windows letting in too much sunlight...
External window blinds work wonders with that - your AC doesn't have to work hard to get the heat out of the greenhouse you inadvertently built if you avoid the heat getting in in the first place. But yeah, these might be more widespread over here in Europe than in the US...
The house is located in Austin TX.
Root cause analysis complete.
The house is also mostly glass.
Window blinds for the worst hours (can be angled so the sun doesn't enter but the view outside is retained), and solar reflective foil for the normal days. I'm still looking for the good, transparent matte coat for my exterior walls, but I've already cut some of the cooling power use via passive means.
> transparent matte coat for my exterior walls
I'm curious about this. Do you mean a layer of paint-like substance that makes the walls isolate better?
I'm putting external shutters on my house in London this winter. This summer was crazy. I've never seen them further north than Barcelona.