External Solar Shading

Glazing is designed to keep heat in!

Double and triple glazing is designed to keep our homes warm by reducing heat loss but they have also been identified as one of the top 5 causes of overheating because the glazing prevents unwanted heat from escaping during the summer.

Overheating is occuring in upto 20% of all homes in England and with the UK getting warmer each year how can we prevent overheating in our homes, schools and places of work?

The UK Climate Projections 2018 study says that under the highest emissions scenario, summer temperatures could be 5.4C hotter by 2070.

Blinds and Shutters are a great way of keeping the indoors shaded and reducing the heat entering a room but to hit a closed internal blind the Solar radiation has to pass through the window and the air inside the gap can often be upto 20 degrees higher than room air.

So what else can we use?

External Shading

External shading is best for summer heat rejection, as it prevents the sun’s radiation from even reaching the window. External blinds can reduce Solar Gaining by upto 96% when in the shading position on a hot day.

Solar Gaining is the increase of thermal energy in a space.

External Shading can cut the energy consumption needed to cool a hot room by 80%.

Automated shading

Control systems mean that you can set timers or even have solar sensors installed, allowing blinds to react to changing daylight and weather conditions. Automating your external shading means that your blinds will provide the optimum comfort levels and to deliver maximum energy saving function.

Awnings

An awning is a roof-like shelter installed on a home’s exterior that shades windows from the sun’s heat and glare. Awnings can also shade outdoor living spaces. Awnings can be fixed or retractable.

Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. You can use an awning to shade one window or have an awning custom-made to shade the entire side of your house.

External Rollers

Solar screens can reduce solar heat gain, UV damage, and glare. They can be installed on the interior or exterior as roller shades or fixed panels, and they typically allow for a view out the window and light transmission and look similar to regular insect screens but provide more efficiency benefits.

The openness factor on solar screens varies and affects the efficiency benefits; greater openness reduces the protection against glare and solar heat gain but increases visibility and light transmission.