How much of the year can you use a screened porch? How much do heaters help?eaters help?

[Anonymous]

How much difference do heaters on a screen porch really make when it's chilly or cold, compared to just sitting outside? How much more of the year would we be able to spend time outside if we had a screened porch, compared to now without one, do you think? We are fine with wearing jackets out there and we don't need to be totally warm and toasty-- but at roughly what temperature is sitting on a screened porch cold and uncomfortable even with jackets and heaters?

Also, are there some kinds of heaters that are better than others? What do you recommend?

[Anonymous]

We have a relatively new screened in porch, 2 years, with heaters, and we're out there about 10 months per year. Jan/Feb have been brutal, but the rest of the year it's heaven

[Anonymous]

We have Easy-breeze panels and the porch faces south, so in the cooler seasons whenever the sun is out it gets pretty mild in the porch.

Between April and October we use it almost daily.

[Anonymous]

Get Sunspace (or EZ Breeze but I think subsurface are better) windows and any kind of supplemental heat will allow you to use it for part of every month of the year. On the coldest days it may be less enjoyable, but beyond that, absolutely worth it. We just bought a new home and our second big upgrade is to put a screened porch with Sunspace windows. We really miss it from our old house. It was absolutely our favorite feature.

[Anonymous]

Eaters help you make more use of your porch. Invite friends and neighbors to come eat.

[Anonymous]

EZ Breeze or just winter vinyl panels, and it’s 10 months of the year with a couple electric heaters

[Anonymous]

Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

In metro DC, our summers generally are too hot & humid for a screened porch, and winters are usually too windy and cold. I would guess it would be usable April-May and September-October.

If one enclosed the porch (not just screens) but did not add HVAC to the space, then an electric space heater might add the winter months to the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

I would not recommend this. The vinyl panels not just help keep wind out, but they keep the porch furniture clean from dust and pollen. We've had one without vinyl panels and it's unbelievable how much, and how quickly pollen builds up in the spring, and dust accumulate throughout the year. It's a lot of work just to keep the porch usable from the cleaning point. Now we have one with the panels and will never go back.

[Anonymous]

We use it most in the spring and fall. Winter is too cold, summer is too hot.

We're in DMV.

[Anonymous]

We use ours probably 10 months a year. In hotter months it might be more at night with the fan on or early morning. But it gets used.

We have ceiling mounted heaters.

Best feature of my house. Love the space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a relatively new screened in porch, 2 years, with heaters, and we're out there about 10 months per year. Jan/Feb have been brutal, but the rest of the year it's heaven

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

I would not recommend this. The vinyl panels not just help keep wind out, but they keep the porch furniture clean from dust and pollen. We've had one without vinyl panels and it's unbelievable how much, and how quickly pollen builds up in the spring, and dust accumulate throughout the year. It's a lot of work just to keep the porch usable from the cleaning point. Now we have one with the panels and will never go back.

Agree. And if you are building from scratch (or even retrofitting an existing porch), the Sunspace panels are not prohibitively expensive. We have Sunspace windows, a gas fireplace, and large ceiling fan. We use it every day year-round. In the coldest months, we add a space heater to supplement the fireplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

In metro DC, our summers generally are too hot & humid for a screened porch, and winters are usually too windy and cold. I would guess it would be usable April-May and September-October.

If one enclosed the porch (not just screens) but did not add HVAC to the space, then an electric space heater might add the winter months to the above.

That does not match my experience at all.

You are guessing from not even using a porch to see how it feels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a relatively new screened in porch, 2 years, with heaters, and we're out there about 10 months per year. Jan/Feb have been brutal, but the rest of the year it's heaven

We have fans, so really do use all summer long, all spring and fall, and much of winter (last year winter was pretty mild).