With all the hot weather recently, some people have questioned how much would they use a three season sunroom, as some decks are too hot now. Wouldn't a sunroom be even hotter? The answer is - yes and no. The two biggest factors in how warm a sunroom will get is the direction it faces and the overall design of the room.
Some people think the south is the hottest but it's actually the west side. During the hot summer months, south facing rooms only get sun directly on the glass for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening but mid day (the hottest part of the day), when the sun is almost directly overhead, the roof provides shade, making it cooler than a deck alone. However, in the winter when the sun is much lower, you maximize the solar gain, which greatly extends your outdoor living season. Unlike the east side, rooms facing west tend to be a little hotter at the end of the day, as the setting sun hits the glass. Designs with as much screen as possible on these sides helps to reduce solar gain. Also, screens extending up to the ceiling are beneficial in preventing the rising hot air to becoming trapped in "dead air" spaces. The benefit of having a room that is on a hot side is that you will use it earlier and later into the season than others on a cooler side. The north side is the coolest side of all, but will not extend the season quite as long as the other three sides (without heat).
Another interesting fact is that no matter how many windows with screens you have, opening all of them is not always the answer. Sometimes less is more - opening certain windows at certain times will actually improve air flow as you create a wind tunnel effect.
No matter what side you face, the positives outweigh the negatives, which is why every room we build will bring us 3 to 5 referrals. If you would like more info, contact us at (204) 940-3030 or visit our factory for a tour