How to Take Advantage of Your Sunroom All Year Round

Sunrooms connect the outdoors with the comfort of your indoor setting.

A sunroom is a great way to expand your living space and enjoy the outdoors without leaving the comfort of your home.  Sunrooms provide extra space in your home for social gatherings, personal relaxation and family activities.

The challenge with many sunrooms, though, is that they may not be as comfortable in the warmest summer months or the colder winter months.

What Are the Best Heating and Cooling Options for a Sunroom?
A sunroom (often referred to as a “three season room”) is not engineered to be heated and cooled on an ongoing basis.  However, with the help of alternative heating and cooling sources a sunroom can be used in cooler and warmer weather, providing more year round use.

Options to Cool a Sunroom

• Expand the HVAC vents from your current A/C unit. This allows you to control the cooling for this room along with the rest of your home. Just make sure your A/C unit is up to the task of cooling the extra space.
• Install a window A/C unit. Depending on the construction of your sunroom you may be able to install a window A/C unit. This is an inexpensive way to cool a room, but the units do take up window space and can be loud.
• Install a ductless A/C unit. Ductless A/C units have a higher upfront cost but will save you money over time due to their higher energy efficiency. They also won’t obstruct any windows and are much quieter.
• Acquire a portable A/C unit. If your sunroom can’t fit a window A/C unit there are portable cooling units that sit on the floor.  These can take up a lot of room, are noisy, and are not highly energy efficient.

Options to Heat a Sunroom

• Use a space heater. Space heaters are cost-effective and easy. It will take them a little time to warm a room because they should never be left on when no one is in the room. Depending on the size of the space, they may also not heat the room evenly.
• Expand your HVAC vents into the sunroom. Using your HVAC unit can be a good option for consistently and thoroughly heating your sunroom. Just as when cooling using his option, make sure your unit can handle the extra square footage.
• Use a ductless (also referred to as a mini-split) heating unit. Ductless heat pumps consist of a wall-mounted indoor unit along with an outdoor air compressor. They are quieter than space heaters and much more energy efficient.  ENERGY STAR ductless models can be as much as 30% more efficient.

Other Recommendations

• Ceiling fans are an inexpensive addition that can help heat and cool a sunroom by redirecting the cool and hot air trapped in the ceiling. Ceiling fans require that a room have at least an 8’ ceiling.
• Place a heavy area rug in the room to cover tile or hardwood floors that can be cold in the winter.
• Add blinds or other window treatments that will keep the cold out in the winter and some of the heat out in the summer.

Want to Discuss Your Options?
Are you looking for some help in reviewing your HVAC options for your sunroom? One of our experienced, friendly technicians is always available to answer your questions.

Just give Mecko’s Heating & Cooling a call at 765-447-7555.