NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Mirrored Infrared blocking films on your windows does wonders for cutting down the heat leaking into your apartment during the summer, and leaking out during the winter, you can double up with a clear piece sealed to the frame as well, which creates an air pocket that can trap air and prevents much of the emissive radiation from leaking in.
Im not sure if they exist but you can build little shelf extensions for your windowsills and start growing herbs and edible plants, they’ll also help to absorb some of the heat from sunlight that would otherwise warm up your home.
The solution to airflow with only one wall windowed is by using a fan and air filter to pull clean air in during the night when it’s cooler. Fitting a window seal for an air conditioner but having that attached to a filtered duct fan (get a brushless centrifugal fan, its way better when you need pressure to go through a filter not just airflow) creates a pressure difference to push the hot indoor air out of the far side of your apartment.
If you live in a very dry climate, ‘Swamp coolers’ are especially useful for reducing the impact of those months where the nights are too hot to cool the house.
In terms of your personal impact, reducing your meat intake and avoiding products that are individually wrapped/ fruit that are sealed in plastic despite having their own outer skin helps massively reduce the impact, the same way buying locally grown produce will.
Look for things that are local to you, if you need meat with no alternative, get to know a butcher who knows the farmers themselves, because that will be the least ‘shipped around the country’ meat available.
Ditch the online shopping for everything but essentials, and buy in bulk if you absolutely have to get it shipped to make it worthwhile, it’ll save you money in the long run as well.
Redditmodstouchgrass@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
How much will it reduce the film’s effectiveness if I can’t put on the outside of the window? It’s above the first floor, and I can’t really expect my building’s handyman to do extra work for me, as he’s already swamped.
NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 4 hours ago
A lot of them you static cling them to the inside of the windows.
Or you can buy the ones with sticky mirrored side and a squeegee to push the film flat against the window while you peel the nonstick backing off
Septimaeus@infosec.pub 22 hours ago
Not the commenter above but can answer this. Film is nearly always applied to the inside of the glass. Most film types, if placed outside, are quickly destroyed by the sun and elements; i.e., will eventually peel or flake up and fall off. Exterior films are a specialized and generally more expensive product, and likely not necessary for the application described here.
Redditmodstouchgrass@lemmy.zip 22 hours ago
I figured, but when i looked it up a couple people were saying to put it outside, but one of those said double paneled windows would crack if it got too hot, so it might just be those cases.
Septimaeus@infosec.pub 21 hours ago
There is a combination of full mirrored rejection film (often not allowed in urban apartments) + prolonged intense sun exposure + certain types of sealed double pane windows which can lead to overpressurization of the interior chamber by both doubling the intrapane greenhouse effect while thermally insulating one side with film. Though IIRC this usually results in the glass perimeter seals failing (like a “blowout” which defeats some of the thermal barrier function of the double pane glass) rather than glass cracking (usually associated more with rapid thermal changes, such as from certain styles of compact vertical ejection window ACs).
But the type of thermal rejection film described above is not so aggressive as that. If the window is double pane and has a lot of direct sun exposure, you could ask an installer or consult with a store that sells these window treatments in your area to get an idea of the risk given local climate and specifics of your window for peace of mind. They might be able to recommend some film specifications as well.