They have always been with us, and almost without knowing it, they have fulfilled in our homes a very important function when it comes to saving energy and taking care of the environment. A good use of the blinds and curtains contributes to saving between 10 and 20% of the energy consumption of a house.
The main role of external venetian blinds is to isolate the house against cold or heat, and in many cases, also act against external noises. Depending on the thickness and the material they are made of (aluminium, PVC or wood mainly), the blinds can reduce up to 20% the heat losses inside a house. This means a saving in the consumption of heating and air conditioning, depending on the season in which we are. Contact us today and acquire external venetian blinds of premium quality.
Its location is usually on the outside of the windows, because thanks to its lacquered surface, they are resistant to inclement weather. However, it is important to know what is the best time to keep them up and which is the best to have them down. In cold weather, it is advisable to leave the blinds open when the sun comes through the window. In this way, you will get solar light and heat to fill the room and help it to be warmer when the sun goes down, without the need for heating.
- If your windows are located in shaded areas throughout the day, it is advisable to keep the blinds and curtains drawn. With this measure you will retain more energy than you will lose when you turn on the lights to illuminate the room.
- In times of heat, try not to lift the blinds much. You will avoid the entrance of heat and the room will stay cooler in the shade. In addition, in summer and spring the sunlight is usually more intense and it is not so necessary to open the blind completely to flood a room with light.
- There are many types of windows, depending on the style that you like or that suits your home. There are venetian blinds, rolling, wooden … but the one that takes most now is the sliding shutter.
- If you are renovating your house, keep in mind what type of blind you choose for your windows. All are equally useful, what differentiates them is the decorative touch you want to achieve with them.
Reducing the consumption of energy and improving the hydrothermal conditions of the interior spaces is not only an economic necessity in large equipment and commercial premises, but a requirement of the current international legislation, which proposes the application of architectural solutions to save energy. These measures are especially necessary in those places with an important passage of people that forces open and close doors on countless occasions, or simply to keep them open.
Recent studies carried out by international institutions show that the use of air curtains leads to less air infiltration in buildings and a more efficient use of energy compared to other protection systems such as the construction of lobbies. And is that while the curtains allow a protection against outside air filtration of 65%, the lobbies protect only by 23%.
Likewise, the construction of lobbies is more expensive, complex and involves a loss of space of vital passage for businesses, which in the last years of crisis have adopted the tendency to keep the doors open to invite potential clients to enter.
The benefits are evident in studies conducted in various situations such as summer or winter, climate zones, gusts of wind or large numbers of people entering and leaving continuously. The results show that the installation of air curtains has a direct consequence in the electric bill of the property and in a greater climatological comfort inside the premises.
However, not all air curtains are equally effective, and conventional and somewhat obsolete facilities provide fewer advantages than modern high-efficiency curtains. Therefore, it is necessary to review the installations made years ago and update them with more innovative and efficient systems such as our external venetian blinds.
Air curtains are the perfect solution to create an invisible barrier that separates two different environments without limiting people’s access. They consist of a fan placed on the top or side of the door that projects a jet of air downwards so as to separate the interior from the outside. Not only does it stop cold and hot air currents, but it also keeps the interior environment clean of insects, dust, pollution, suspended particles and bad odours.
How external venetian blinds affect energy saving
The typical and traditional Mediterranean home was very efficient from the energy point of view. Part of this efficiency was, and is, possible thanks to two inventions that are not characterised, precisely, by their modernity: the blinds and curtains.
A good use of curtains and blinds is calculated that can allow us to save up to 10% of the energy consumption of a home. This savings is not only at the pocket level; It is also positive, an interesting saving for your pocket, but also for the environment. This savings is made, all, in heating and air conditioning.
Below we will give a series of tips to save heating in winter and air conditioning in summer by using curtains and blinds.
During the winter
During the colder months it is recommended, in order to decrease the cost of heating, to keep the blinds and curtains of the windows that face the south of the house open during the sunny hours to allow light and heat to enter. And during the night it is advisable to close them to reduce the cold of the windows.
If you have windows that do not receive sunrays the whole day, it is preferable, unless it is a very used room, do not open the blinds and curtains during the day. The amount of energy that is retained is, most likely, greater than what we can lose by turning on the lights.
During the summer
During the time when air conditioning is used, the opposite must be done. That is, they have to close, although not completely, the blinds to which the sun gives them. With a slight opening is sufficient because the outside light is intense in the hot months and with a few slits enough for lighting. By avoiding the direct entry of the sun’s rays, an increase in interior temperature will be avoided.
As a complement to this measure, it is important to bear in mind that during the summer one of the most natural refrigerants is air currents. It is convenient, in this sense, to study which windows offer us this possibility.
Remember that if you want to enjoy real freedom to decorate a room or part of the house the way to want, an external venetian blind is an excellent option. You will have more space for interior decoration.