External shading products and ventilation have an important role to play in managing and reducing the risk of overheating in the places where we live and work. Products such as blinds, awnings and louvered roofs add style and privacy but they also retain and deflect heat whilst controlling light levels and glare – all year round. They help prevent unwanted solar heat gain during the summer months and allow free solar gain in the winter.
This is important because UK summers are becoming increasingly warmer each year. Research suggests that almost a third of the UK’s healthcare facilities will be at risk from heatwaves by 2050. And it’s important to remember that overheating doesn’t just affect us during the summer months – it also happens during the winter, with indoor temperatures rising to uncomfortable and unsafe levels that put occupant health at risk.
We should be doing all we can to ensure our residential and commercial spaces are fully equipped to prevent unwanted solar heat gain during the summer months, and allow free solar gain in the winter. Adjustable solar shading in the form of awnings, external blinds and bioclimatic pergolas have an important part to play in saving energy and helping our climate journey.
Not only do these external shading products offer an abundance of benefits when socialising, entertaining and relaxing outdoors during the summer months, they are a quick, easy and affordable way to help ensure a thermally and visually comfortable, sustainable home with lower running and maintenance costs – all year round.
Stuart Dantzic
Managing director, Caribbean Blinds UK
