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The "Technology Connections" youtube channel recently discussed awnings too. (And it had more or less the same message as this blog.) https://www.youtube.com/w

The "Technology Connections" youtube channel recently discussed awnings too. (And it had more or less the same message as this blog.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhbDfi7Ee7k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhbDfi7Ee7k

malfist 2y ago
And that has way more details than this. The only why supplied here is "we forgot" and "AC"
- zahlman 2y ago
  The TC video has a lot of details about why awnings are a great idea, and about how other places are still using them and getting good results; but the reasoning offered for why we don't use them any more... still boils down to "we forgot" and "AC". Because those are the actual reasons.
  - lesuorac 2y ago
    Well, I think he made a bit of a stronger accusation too then just "AC". In that, if your property had awnings the implication was it didn't have AC (I guess people can't read/trust a listing) so you needed to remove the awnings to advertise that you had AC.
    - graemep 2y ago
      Wasting money (as it would requite running the AC more) to show you have money.
      - sitkack 2y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen
  - michaelt 2y ago
    AC was indeed important. But also: We still sometimes use things like awnings, just in the form of 'porches' or modern-looking 'slat awnings' Changes in architectural fashion has made some forms of awning look dated. Fabric awnings need upkeep to keep them looking smart. When the awnings are above ground level, it's semi-expensive upkeep. Building owners are tempted to keep those tired, sun-bleached awnings in place rather than renewing them - contributing to the dated reputation of awnings. Awnings also face competition from interior curtains and blinds, which are much simpler to maintain. And there's shifting building use. A few decades ago an office worker would prize a desk by a big window with lots of natural light to read paperwork by, but in the age of PCs nobody wants direct sunlight on their screen. Internal blinds let workers control the light levels to match their needs.
    - upofadown 2y ago
      >Awnings also face competition from interior curtains and blinds, which are much simpler to maintain. But not significant competition. If the blinds are very reflective a small amount of sunlight might end up going out again but in general, once the solar radiation converts to heat you can't get it back out through the window. That is particularly true for modern multi-pane windows.
      - ygra 2y ago
        That's why shutters (roller or hinged) exist that are on the outside of the windows. Here in Southern Germany pretty much every window has them and since they block the sun outside the window, it can help a lot not getting the interior too warm.
        Retric 2y ago
        External shudders don’t help when it’s 100+f at night and they are just as hot as the surroundings. This is why they’re common in Europe but not tropical countries.
        potatoz2 2y ago
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- nkrisc 2y ago
  You’re right, there’s one other reason: they went out of style because not having them meant you had… AC. Ok I guess it’s just those two.
- bsder 2y ago
  I suspect it's not really "forgot". I suspect it's "awnings require ongoing maintenance".
  - rob74 2y ago
    Also, I imagine it was a hassle making sure they were closed and secured when a storm came up - and expensive to repair (not to mention dangerous) if you forgot it...
    - parodysbird 2y ago
      I had an awning and a pool enclosure in South Florida. So did most houses in the neighborhood. Then the 2004 hurricane season happened, and there was neither of each around anywhere ever again.
  - dghughes 2y ago
    Also windows now have low-emissivity (low E) coatings. The coating varies light transmission depending on the sun angle. When the sun is high in summer some visible light but more UV and IR is reflected. When the sun is low in the winter more light can pass through. Pretty much what an awning does.
    - amonon 2y ago
      This is very cool. How recent is this? We purchased an older house with an HOA that discourages awnings. I had been considering petitioning for one but a low-emissivity coating would be easier.
      - HackeNewsFan234 2y ago
        Low-e windows coatings have been around since the 70's. They have gotten better over the decades, but I can't say how much they've changed. When buying new windows, this is a very common and cheap option.
        2y ago
- hedora 2y ago
  We have a fixed overhang on the side of our house instead of an awning. It’s a lot less maintenance, but it is a foot or two too short. The problem is that we keep getting 20F-above-normal days in the fall when it lets the sun into the house. I wonder if global warming will create a business opportunity for retrofitting houses like ours.
  - mixmastamyk 2y ago
    Rollup shades can help with that.
- lacrosse_tannin 2y ago
  I bet renting has something to do with it too. I can't just start attaching awnings to the outside of this place I don't own. The landlord doesn't care if I'm hot in the summer and cold in the winter. He doesn't pay the AC bill.
  - SoftTalker 2y ago
    He might be paying the AC bill. In large buildings the heat and AC is central, and typically is included in the rent. The downside of this is that the decision to run AC or heat is made by the building engineer, and during the change of seasons there might be a warm (or cold) day and the AC (or heat) isn't running.
    - philwelch 2y ago
      You can buy portable heaters and air conditioners, plug them in inside your own apartment, and pay the power bill. The AC needs a way to exchange air with the outside but that can be accommodated with a window.
      - malfist 2y ago
        Portable AC units are highly inefficient (also a TC video) because they exhaust the air conditioned air to the outside as part of the exchange.
        shagie 2y ago
        There are different models. The classic one is the single hose. There are dual hose models. https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioners-accessories/newair-12-000-btu-dual-hose-portable-air-conditioner/nac12kwhd3/p-1642874313961598-c-1497103338431.htm?exp=false https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioner... With the installation instructions https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_Instruct/2032203_Product_Manual_v1.0_FINAL.pdf https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_In... on page 11 you can see two sets of air inlets - one for the air exchange with outside, and one for the air exchange inside.
aidenn0 2y ago
Thanks, it even mentions low-e glass which I was wondering about.

malfist 2y ago

And that has way more details than this. The only why supplied here is "we forgot" and "AC"

zahlman 2y ago
The TC video has a lot of details about why awnings are a great idea, and about how other places are still using them and getting good results; but the reasoning offered for why we don't use them any more... still boils down to "we forgot" and "AC". Because those are the actual reasons.
- lesuorac 2y ago
  Well, I think he made a bit of a stronger accusation too then just "AC". In that, if your property had awnings the implication was it didn't have AC (I guess people can't read/trust a listing) so you needed to remove the awnings to advertise that you had AC.
  - graemep 2y ago
    Wasting money (as it would requite running the AC more) to show you have money.
    - sitkack 2y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen
- michaelt 2y ago
  AC was indeed important. But also: We still sometimes use things like awnings, just in the form of 'porches' or modern-looking 'slat awnings' Changes in architectural fashion has made some forms of awning look dated. Fabric awnings need upkeep to keep them looking smart. When the awnings are above ground level, it's semi-expensive upkeep. Building owners are tempted to keep those tired, sun-bleached awnings in place rather than renewing them - contributing to the dated reputation of awnings. Awnings also face competition from interior curtains and blinds, which are much simpler to maintain. And there's shifting building use. A few decades ago an office worker would prize a desk by a big window with lots of natural light to read paperwork by, but in the age of PCs nobody wants direct sunlight on their screen. Internal blinds let workers control the light levels to match their needs.
  - upofadown 2y ago
    >Awnings also face competition from interior curtains and blinds, which are much simpler to maintain. But not significant competition. If the blinds are very reflective a small amount of sunlight might end up going out again but in general, once the solar radiation converts to heat you can't get it back out through the window. That is particularly true for modern multi-pane windows.
    - ygra 2y ago
      That's why shutters (roller or hinged) exist that are on the outside of the windows. Here in Southern Germany pretty much every window has them and since they block the sun outside the window, it can help a lot not getting the interior too warm.
      - Retric 2y ago
        External shudders don’t help when it’s 100+f at night and they are just as hot as the surroundings. This is why they’re common in Europe but not tropical countries.
        potatoz2 2y ago
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
nkrisc 2y ago
You’re right, there’s one other reason: they went out of style because not having them meant you had… AC. Ok I guess it’s just those two.
bsder 2y ago
I suspect it's not really "forgot". I suspect it's "awnings require ongoing maintenance".
- rob74 2y ago
  Also, I imagine it was a hassle making sure they were closed and secured when a storm came up - and expensive to repair (not to mention dangerous) if you forgot it...
  - parodysbird 2y ago
    I had an awning and a pool enclosure in South Florida. So did most houses in the neighborhood. Then the 2004 hurricane season happened, and there was neither of each around anywhere ever again.
- dghughes 2y ago
  Also windows now have low-emissivity (low E) coatings. The coating varies light transmission depending on the sun angle. When the sun is high in summer some visible light but more UV and IR is reflected. When the sun is low in the winter more light can pass through. Pretty much what an awning does.
  - amonon 2y ago
    This is very cool. How recent is this? We purchased an older house with an HOA that discourages awnings. I had been considering petitioning for one but a low-emissivity coating would be easier.
    - HackeNewsFan234 2y ago
      Low-e windows coatings have been around since the 70's. They have gotten better over the decades, but I can't say how much they've changed. When buying new windows, this is a very common and cheap option.
      - 2y ago
hedora 2y ago
We have a fixed overhang on the side of our house instead of an awning. It’s a lot less maintenance, but it is a foot or two too short. The problem is that we keep getting 20F-above-normal days in the fall when it lets the sun into the house. I wonder if global warming will create a business opportunity for retrofitting houses like ours.
- mixmastamyk 2y ago
  Rollup shades can help with that.
lacrosse_tannin 2y ago
I bet renting has something to do with it too. I can't just start attaching awnings to the outside of this place I don't own. The landlord doesn't care if I'm hot in the summer and cold in the winter. He doesn't pay the AC bill.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  He might be paying the AC bill. In large buildings the heat and AC is central, and typically is included in the rent. The downside of this is that the decision to run AC or heat is made by the building engineer, and during the change of seasons there might be a warm (or cold) day and the AC (or heat) isn't running.
  - philwelch 2y ago
    You can buy portable heaters and air conditioners, plug them in inside your own apartment, and pay the power bill. The AC needs a way to exchange air with the outside but that can be accommodated with a window.
    - malfist 2y ago
      Portable AC units are highly inefficient (also a TC video) because they exhaust the air conditioned air to the outside as part of the exchange.
      - shagie 2y ago
        There are different models. The classic one is the single hose. There are dual hose models. https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioners-accessories/newair-12-000-btu-dual-hose-portable-air-conditioner/nac12kwhd3/p-1642874313961598-c-1497103338431.htm?exp=false https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioner... With the installation instructions https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_Instruct/2032203_Product_Manual_v1.0_FINAL.pdf https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_In... on page 11 you can see two sets of air inlets - one for the air exchange with outside, and one for the air exchange inside.

aidenn0 2y ago

Thanks, it even mentions low-e glass which I was wondering about.