Portable aircon

silverwhistle

Two points from ComicGeek's post, avoid direct sun and don't let the heat build up. Earlier in the week I nipped out to a local DIY shed (Wickes) who have smaller sheets of Kingspan insulation which are easy to handle and get in the car. These are now making a huge difference on my large S facing dining room window.

Unsightly, certainly, but if this is May I hate to think how the summer will progress and there's an important safety and comfort angle to this and blow what others might think. I'm aiming for an A2A heat pump for winter heating, but I'm certainly not going to be in time this summer to find an F-gas engineer!

As an aside chatting with my bestie we were talking about climate change deniers and she reckons they should stand in the open at mid-day, bare headed, constantly repeating to themselves "It's May, It's May" until they collapse from heat exhaustion..

Mary108

Thanks @silverwhistle

I was reading about using aluminium (tin?) foil on windows to reflect the heat away. I then read that this can cause the gap within double glazed windows to heat up so much, that the window shatters

I'm assuming this doesn't apply to Kingspan?

Mary108

https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/jun/17/best-fans-uk.

Interesting article on fans ! 👍

QrizB

I was reading about using aluminium (tin?) foil on windows to reflect the heat away. I then read that this can cause the gap within double glazed windows to heat up so much, that the window shatters

Where have you read this? It sounds incredibly unlikely.

I'm assuming this doesn't apply to Kingspan?

I'd suggest that it also doesn't happen with aluminium foil.

Mary108

Thanks @QrizB

I've had a look at my scrolling history and it was on Reddit .....it stated that unless the foil is placed on the OUTSIDE of the window, the glass COULD heat up and explode 😳

Which sounds scary !

QrizB

Per Tom's Guide:

One topic of discussion on British social media was where the foil should be applied. The concern was that placing it on the inside of the windows may cause heat to get trapped between the foil and the glass — heating up the glass and causing it to crack. So the advice being shared was to cover the outside of the window — which is no easy task when you don’t have a very big ladder.

However Dr. Sachleben doesn’t feel this is likely, and that light would simply be reflected through the window the same way it came in. While there may be some buildup between the foil and the glass, he said he’d be surprised if this would cause the glass to break. He also pointed out that specialized window film is typically designed to be installed on the inside. That’s not to say it definitely won’t happen, just that it doesn’t seem that likely.

ComicGeek

My garden faces south-west, and the kitchen and master bedroom get the sun all day. I've installed shading fins (brise soleil) above these 2 windows, which keeps the sun off them in summer. The sun is lower in winter, so I still get direct sun under them in winter. Cost around £1500 - not everyone likes the look of them, but they make a huge difference to internal temperatures.

Mary108

Thanks @ComicGeek. That is very interesting

subjecttocontract

Its not just about heat coming in through window glass. One of the big problems on a hot day, regardless of whatever you do.....blinds, curtains, tin foil, fans etc....is that the fabric of the building heats up. As soon as you turn off the a/c the house remains hot as it takes hours for the walls to cool.

jvjack

Yes , and the walls that have stored the heat during the day then release it into the house as the temperature tries to drop over night. A no win situation. I sleep in the downstairs east facing kitchen when it gets too much in upstairs west facing bedroom..
Those fins look fine to me comicgeek . Could put flags or pots of flowers on top. Have never seen them before. Bet i see them now i've seen your picture.
But there are gaps in the fins, Am i missing something. Are the fins angled but just not clear in picture. Good idea though even if it has just one fin. Could dangle or drape a cover to block sun.