What Are The Alternatives to Exterior Blinds?

External blinds are a popular choice when it comes to blocking solar glare and stopping homes and workplaces from overheating.

They can reduce the temperature by up to five degrees Celsius – the difference between stifling and comfortable.

However, there are alternative products on the market that can keep our homes and offices cool.

Louvres and Shutters

These are angled slats fixed or hung on the outside of a window. The work by stopping the sun’s rays entering the window while at the same time allowing air to circulate.

In some countries like Australia and the USA louvres are known as louvers.

They are often confused with jalousie windows, a type of window which uses louvres and became popular in France in the 18^th century. The word comes from the Italian geloso meaning jealous and stopped nosey people from spying inside homes.

Brise Soleil

These shading solutions translate from French into ‘sun breaker’ and do exactly as they say.

They are fixed onto a building and either stick out over the window or hang vertically to stop intense summer sunlight entering a room.

Yet in the winter, when the sun sits low in the sky, the slats allow the sunlight to come through the window for passive solar heating.

Often made from aluminium, brise soleil can be made from other materials like wood.

Overhangs

Overhangs are horizontal extensions of a roof and can include eaves which extend past the exterior of a building.

They protect homes and buildings from solar glare and rain and snow and can be made of aluminium, steel, wood or polycarbonate which is a tough and transparent material that allows light in but blocks harmful rays.

If overhangs are made of fabric they are known as awnings which can be fixed or retractable.

Deep reveals

Although they sound like a literary device in a novel, deep reveals are recesses in window openings that extend further into a wall than usual.

In older buildings, the space created by the window reveal is often used as a window seat.

Deep window reveals are integrated into the design of the building to frame views, make buildings look interesting and stop solar glare.

Solar Glass

Solar glass is a glass treated with a metallic tinted coating to reflect the sun’s rays.

While it can be effective at blocking out solar glare, unlike external blinds and other window coverings, you can’t control how much light can come in the building.

And although it can look sleek, the tint colours are not to everyone’s taste.

It is also less effective at keeping a building cool, typically reducing the inside temperature by two degrees Celsius compared to up to seven degrees achieved by external blinds.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning treats the problem of overheating rather than stopping it in the first place.

It is also very expensive for most households, with a single AC unit potentially doubling the costs of household energy bills.

While air conditioning may be effective at keeping homes and offices cool, they are not a sustainable choice as we head towards net zero in 2050.

A UNICEF report has estimated that air conditioning units contribute to almost four per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

External Blinds

In contrast to air conditioning units, external blinds are a sustainable option and use very little energy to raise and lower.

They can be controlled remotely via your smartphone or a household app so you can let as much or little solar glare into the building as you like, and you can even set the temperature you want.

In addition, the special weave of the fabric still allows light into a room and residents to enjoy views outside.

Contact External Blind Experts

If you’d like to speak to our experts about cost, look and sustainability of external blinds for home, commercial or heritage projects, then please contact us.