Preparing your home for summer: energy efficiency and outdoor blinds

Just like people in Europe prepare themselves for the long winters, Australians have to prepare for summer. It’s not all perfect 29-degree days with a nice breeze (like they assume). There’s days where the tap water comes out hot, you escape into a supermarket for the air conditioning, and the sand burns your feet as you race into the water. And with this kind of weather, you need to plan how to make your life comfortable for the next six months. Luckily, blinds come in handy for keeping your home nice and cool, and they also help to reduce your energy bill. 

Benefits of installing outdoor blinds for summer

Keep the house cool

Summer in Australia isn’t always suitable for spending time outdoors, as we all know, there are days when it’s simply too hot to exist out there. On those days, your home needs to be a cool oasis to hide away in or return to after working in the heat. Outdoor blinds, shutters, and awnings can shade your home from direct sunlight, keeping the inside pleasantly cool. Just imagine, in the morning you hit a button to activate your motorised outdoor blinds and they descend down outside your windows, ready to keep the inside a reasonable temperature for when you get home. 

Shutters work particularly well as they are solid insulators on your windows, but reflective retractable sunshade awnings are also incredibly effective. It just depends on what look you are going for. Often, you will be able to get your outdoor blinds custom-made to fit your windows or cover the specific area you would like. 

Shade entertaining areas

Everyone loves a barbeque, so it can be quite disappointing when you have to make dinner inside in the air conditioning on a beautiful sunny day because it’s too hot outside. Setting up some sunshade awnings or Ziptrak blinds around your outdoor entertaining space will make the space shady no matter which direction the sun is coming from. This way, you can enjoy a relaxing summer barbeque with the sounds of birds and the blue sky as a backdrop – without everyone getting sunburnt! 

Privacy when outdoors

Summer is all about spending time outside, whether it’s having a cup of tea in the morning while the air is still fresh, watching the sunset with a glass of wine, or doing some tanning on a deck chair. But all this time spent outdoors means you’re quite exposed. Even if you’re in the backyard surrounded by fences, in most suburbs it’s easy for neighbours to accidentally catch a glimpse. Putting up some well-placed blinds or shades can block prying eyes and give you the freedom to enjoy your outdoor spaces in private.

Can blinds help you save on energy bills during summer?

Many people don’t realise that insulation can benefit you in summer as well as winter. The same factors that keep the heat in, can keep it out as well. So, blinds are a great way of insulating your windows and stopping the summer heat from entering. The blinds create a pocket of air between the fabric and the glass, and this acts as insulation for the window. When you think about it, windows are huge gaps in the walls of your house and will let in a lot of hot sunlight, so it makes sense to give them more protection.

If you’re interested in buying blinds for insulation and saving money on air conditioning, then choose a reflective fabric with a light colour, like white, cream, or beige. More heat and sunlight will be reflected away from the house and your home will be kept cooler.

What are the best blinds for energy efficiency?

Cellular blinds

Cellular blinds are the best indoor window coverings for insulation, as they have a unique honeycomb-shaped structure that traps pockets of air. These pockets act as one layer of insulation and the air between the blinds and the glass is another, making them incredibly effective. They also have quite an elegant style and can filter sunlight in a way that keeps the room feeling summery.

Roller blinds

Roller blinds are a single sheet of fabric which can fall flush against the window and create a solid barrier to the hot sun. A popular choice is to buy blockout roller blinds for places like bedrooms, but these can also double as extra effective insulators. Also, sunscreen roller blinds, which are almost transparent but block 85% of the sun’s heat, are a genius solution for rooms you’d still like to fill with natural light.

Shutters

When you fix shutters to the inside or outside of your window, they create a significant layer of insulation against the elements. Unlike a sheet of fabric, they are a thick, solid material, which makes it harder for the heat to get in. However, indoor shutters do have slats that can be louvered up and down for light control – so you don’t have to be locked up in the dark. And if you use both a set of blinds and some shutters on your windows, your home will stay even cooler.

Other ways to prepare your home for summer

The practical stuff:

• Clean your air conditioner to ensure it’s circulating clean air
• Replace your doona and flannelette sheets with light, airy summer bedding
• Thoroughly clean your barbeque
• Do a deep clean to keep the summer horde of insects at bay – even use an ‘insect control bomb’ to make sure the house is clear
• Clean the winter dirt and water spots off the windows

The fun stuff:

• Put up some fairy lights in the backyard
• Revamp your garden furniture
• Buy some fresh indoor plants
• Switch cosy winter decor for brightly coloured summer items

Keen for some shade?

If you’re ready to invest in some insulating blinds or cooling outdoor blinds, have a look through our selection. Our team will be happy to help if you need some advice!