Best DIY option for keeping a south facing room cool in summer?

[SRJDIY]

My bedroom faces south, and the sunlight through the windows turns it into an oven during summer. I do the following already, but the room is still significantly warmer than the rest of the house:

-Keeping the curtains drawn when the sun is on that side of the house
-Opening the window when it's cooler outside than inside, and closing it when it's hotter
-Running a fan

Does anyone know of any proven ways I can stop the sun from heating the room up? Budget is relatively tight so I'm thinking more along the lines of something I can do myself, rather than installing aircon or fitting triple glazing. I've seen blinds, curtains, window coatings etc that claim to help, but I don't know which ones actually work or how well.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

External shutters work, otherwise not much else. Anything inside will be ineffective, the heat is already in the room by then.

 

[RandomGrinch]

As above.
Other options include external window film (internal films can cause overheating and cracking of double glazed units); if your bedroom is on the ground floor, or on a balcony, an awning can help; or if you had a bigger budget, a brise soleil.
You can also ensure that your walls are painted in a light colour and are clean - the more heat you can reflect away from the building, the better.

 

[foxhole]

I just keep blinds down and curtains shut , open windows overnight .

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

External shutters work, otherwise not much else. Anything inside will be ineffective, the heat is already in the room by then.

Not entirely true - if the sun hits a surface just inside the window (blind), much of the heat will be bounced back out. If the sun can land on furniture, floor and bedding they will heat up from the IR. I do what the OP suggests they do, and find it makes a worthwhile difference, at least for the first few days of a heatwave, providing the internal fabric is kept cool, using blinds and opening windows. After a few days, during the night, I open windows, but add a large fan to suck more airflow in, through the open window.

When I open windows, I begin with the room I am in south/west facing. The next stage is open one or two windows at the back of the house north/east facing. The predominant wind direction is usually from west to east.

 

[catlad]

'

 

[catlad]

I put one of these on my bedroom window and its made a big difference.

VOUNOT 3 x 1.2m Patio Telescopic Awning, Retractable Manual Awning, Adjustable Waterproof Canopy with Hand Crank, Balcony Sun Shade Shelter - Grey

ADVANTAGES Weather and UV resistant Adjustable height and tilt angle High quality materials Installation without drilling DESCRIPTION WHY CHOOSE OUR PRODUCT? Our patio awning is made of high quality 180gsm polyester. The telescopic awning can effectively protect from sun glare and rain. It is...

vounot.co.uk

 

[mcprinter]

I put one of these on my bedroom window and its made a big difference.

VOUNOT 3 x 1.2m Patio Telescopic Awning, Retractable Manual Awning, Adjustable Waterproof Canopy with Hand Crank, Balcony Sun Shade Shelter - Grey

ADVANTAGES Weather and UV resistant Adjustable height and tilt angle High quality materials Installation without drilling DESCRIPTION WHY CHOOSE OUR PRODUCT? Our patio awning is made of high quality 180gsm polyester. The telescopic awning can effectively protect from sun glare and rain. It is...

vounot.co.uk

Ground or first floor?

We have an awning over our South facing french doors with side windows. Does help.

Upstairs bedroom faces South and West. Gets a bit toasty.
Closing blinds and curtains helps a bit.
We have an ancient 1200btu portable AC that usually gets it to an acceptable temp.

 

[catlad]

First floor, I had to cut the poles down to make it fit my window. I now don't have to get up at 5 o'clock every morning.

 

[ronniecabers]

As above.
Other options include external window film (internal films can cause overheating and cracking of double glazed units); if your bedroom is on the ground floor, or on a balcony, an awning can help; or if you had a bigger budget, a brise soleil.
You can also ensure that your walls are painted in a light colour and are clean - the more heat you can reflect away from the building, the better.

Careful using solar reflective films, they produce a mirror effect and you have to be careful where that sunlight is reflected to...

 

[RandomGrinch]

Careful using solar reflective films, they produce a mirror effect and you have to be careful where that sunlight is reflected to...

I'm sure it'll be fine...
Take 20 Fenchurch street as an example!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

For an instant fix of cool, soak some towels in water, so they are wet but not dripping, hang them on some sort of rack, and use a fan to blow air across them. The heat drawn out of the air, for evaporation, will pull the temperature down a few degrees. The problem is, the humidity in the air will be significant, so some ventilation will be essential.

That's how the cheap a/c units, which you fill with water, described as 'evaporative coolers work'.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Invented by the Egyptians no less.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Invented by the Egyptians no less.

OK, I always assumed the Romans!

I've just bought a dog cooling mat, which has me intrigued as to how that works. It certainly does appear to work...

It's a mat, filled with some sort of gel. Step on it with bare feet, and you do feel it go cool, or sit on it - so it seems to convert physical effort into cooling, but how does that work?