We also have glass - and were able to draw the AC from the existing unit. Overall, that cost less than the acrylic...

WE also just enclosed our lanai with double pane, insulated, LOW-E, Glass sliders over transom windows. Our heat/AC is connected directly to the house unit (Contractor had to do a HEAT/AIr Efficiency study conducted by Munns at the countys request before county would approve this.) When I say connectd to teh main unit I dodnot mean simply extending the vents in the great room....new heat/ac ducts were run directly from teh furnace to the new lanai area so we get equal heat/ac air flow in all rooms. WE also took out the sliding glass doors to make our great room even more useable.... and this is the BEST investment we ever did. I would not recommend going cheap on windows especially if you have any western exposure in the summer. You need LOW-E. Cost compared to acrylic is only slightly more but the advantages far outweigh acrylic.

The rain and dirt problem plus the summer heat were jjust toooo much for us to keep a screened lanai.

In response to Senior Citizen, we've haven't experienced a power outage in the 2-1/2 years we've lived here. All lines are run underground, except for the one set of high-voltage lines running roughly NW to SE through The Villages. That reduces the occurrence of power outages.

Don't know about gas, since our house is all-electric. We find the electric cost so far quite reasonable. Average bill over the months has been $118 for a 2,037 sq. ft. CBS house. Highest bill ever was $169 at the peak of the heat last summer in August. I think the double-paned windows help a lot with both climate control and street noise...we haven't found the need for a generator.

We are able to use the lanai in the summer, as it faces ENE, but find it too cold in the winter. But, as Gracie said, it's lovely to sit out and watch the rain (when it's warm).

Ah, Gracie. Brings back memories of my childhood. I used to climb up into the attic to hear the sound of rain on the roof. Just relaxes me. One time so much so that I fell asleep and my folks couldn't find me for quite a while. I heard about that for a long time. Even here, I will go out into the lanai during heavy rain just to sit and listen.

One thing to consider when choosing glass vs acrylic windows is that glass will increase property taxes. Apparently using glass transforms the lanai into a "room", for tax purposes. This was what the window company told us back when we had the acrylic windows installed.....is this still the case? We have experienced no scratching and no fogging with the acrylic windows and we love our low property tax bill!!

Rain in Lanai
 

We are in the middle of new construction so there is always dust on our lanai and in our home, We did add gutters to the back of the home and completely around the lanai. IT has helped tremendously. Hills Gutters did the work and they did a nice job at a super nice price, but I may have just hit them when they were hungry.

Gracie & Mikeod,

Also one of my favorites on a rainy day. Just love to sit on my large lanai (which is full of tropical plants) and have a cup of Starbucks on a rainy morning. I have also been known to run in the rain. People will tell me the oddest things about running in the rain. Most of them say you will get sick. With that reasoning, you should get sick every tiime you take a shower. Winter here is my favorite time since it rains a lot.

Batman,

You are in Hawaii? and you are drinking Starbuck's coffee? I have heard that Kona coast coffee is one of the best in the world (next to Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee). Why drink Starbuck's at $3.50 per cup instead of brewing your own Kona coffee?

Just curious - not making judgement!

I'll bet that in persuing Penguin, Riddler, Joker, Catwoman and so many kinds of villans, that you encounter many a rainy days where you must really enjoy the chase!
http://www.batmanytb.com/images/smiley/batman3.gif

Ahh, running a couple of miles in the warm summer rain is one of my best memories.

:wave:

Tbugs,

Yes, I am still in Hawaii. I actually prefer Starbucks Columbian over the Kona bean. Just a matter of personal taste. Most of the Kona you see is a blend and not 100% Kona bean. 100% Kona is very expensive. We sometimes vacation in Kona and visit the coffee plantations to sip some of their fresh coffee.

K9-Lovers,

The only thing better than running in the rain is hiking in the rain forrest in the rain. Watch out for the wild pigs. There are no snakes in Hawaii so you can hike without worrying about where you go. We bring our lunch to eat beside the stream and waterfall. The wife picks Guava, mountain apples and avocado which makes my backpack a lot heavier coming back down the mountain. We will surely miss the year round tropical outdoors when we move.

Batman 911, it sounds like paradise except you are missing our cute, wiggly snakes!

.:angel:

Lizards
 

Speaking of the cute, wiggly snakes, did you see in the Orlando newspaper that full grown Nile monitor lizards - and some juvenile monitors - have been observed and captured in the Ocala National Forest? These are about 4 feet long and eat just about anything. I would hate to run across one of them in the weeds by one of the water hazards.