How to Heat and Cool a Sunroom

A sunroom can be thought of as an enclosed patio.

A sunroom, sometimes called a solarium, is constructed on the side of a house that has many large windows that face the sun, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors without being outside. Plants are often placed in sunrooms due to the amount of sunshine present in the room. Sunrooms are also used to collect the heat of the sun for warmth. Nevertheless, you may wish to cool down a sunroom during the warm months of the year.

Things You'll Need

• Window shades
• Central air conditioner

Instructions

Heating the Sunroom

1. Open all of the shades covering the windows in the sunroom. This will allow the sun's light to enter and heat the room.

2. Turn on any heat that you have operating in your home. Open the air vent in the sunroom.

3. Close the door into the sunroom. Fully compartmentalizing the sunroom allows the sun to warm the room more quickly and efficiently.

Cooling the Sunroom

1. Turn on your central air conditioner and make sure the air vent to the sunroom is open.

2. Close the shades on the windows in the sunroom. This prevents the sun from heating the room any further.

3. Open the door from the sunroom to the other parts of your house. This will allow for better circulation of the cool air from the rest of your house into the sunroom.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have a central air conditioner, consider purchasing a portable air conditioner to cool your sunroom.

References

• "Porches and Sunrooms: Planning and Remodeling Ideas"; Roger German; 2005
• "100 Sunrooms: A Hands-on Design Guide and Sourcebook"; David Wilson; 2005