We have a South facing lanai (back of house), and love it. We are year round, been here just over 2 years. The lanai gets minimal sun during the day, we just added a birdcage, so we have an area that gets much more sun if we want it. During the day, the garage (front of house) gets no sun beating in, keeps it much cooler, and allows working in the garage much of the year. The east and west sides of the house have minimal windows, so we get very little morning and evening sun and the associated heating.
Hope this helps.
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Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV. 
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