Said It Here

How to stop solar heat from skylights on a budget

Skylights can drastically overheat a home, but professional removal or upgraded air conditioning can cost thousands of dollars that homeowners simply don't have. This leaves people searching for cheap, DIY ways to block intense solar heat and wind-resistant shading solutions to keep their rooms cool.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    adding blackout thermal curtains with reflective insulation
  2. 2
    installing external mesh covers
  3. 3
    using ceramic sprays for hard exteriors
  4. 4
    Installing an awning with hooks in the fascia and ground
  5. 5
    Building a pergola
  6. 6
    Planting climbing vegetation like Virginia Creeper or climbing roses on a lattice

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/hvacadvice1 person · September 2026

“My house on a 90+ degree day was about 86 degrees inside.”source ↗

“Is there anything else I can do to keep the heat out for cheap?”source ↗

“Unfortunately I can’t get them removed I do not have 2,000 dollars for get them removed, I already looked into it I just don’t have the money on top of getting another oversized air conditioner unit which I apparently need because I didn’t calculate the square footage of the house correctly due to my 16 feet high ceiling.”source ↗

Abject_Barnacle · r/hvacadvice · 3 upvotes
r/HomeImprovement1 person · October 2026

“My south wall is cooking two bedrooms.”source ↗

“What’s the best way to stop the solar heat?”source ↗

“This area can get quite windy, so that needs to be taken into consideration.”source ↗

jko1701284 · r/HomeImprovement · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised