Today not only marks the start of Spring, which means the wet weather is behind us and sunshine is right around the corner (or at least we hope) but it also marks Global Shading Day. Organised by the European Solar Shading Organisation (ES-SO) and timed to coincide with Spring Equinox, Global Shading Day aims to amplify awareness globally of the benefits of both external and internal shading products.
Far more than just a piece of fabric, dynamic shading systems play a key and vital role creating sustainable, energy efficient buildings by controlling the suns energy; keeping buildings cool in the Summer, warmer in the winter and free from glare all year round, resulting in a thermally and visually comfortable space with minimum demand (or the avoidance of it altogether) on cooling and heating devices, subsequently saving money and cutting carbon emissions.
Shading has been used millennia to make buildings we live and work in more comfortable. Not a new year concept, the romans for example, when the colosseum was built almost 2,000 years ago, had 240 moveable blinds to shade spectators.
A recent study commissioned by the British Blind & Shutter Association (BBSA) demonstrates the huge passive cooling power of external blinds, which in a real life experiment on a block of flats in London reduced interior room temperatures by 18 degrees centigrade. Without shading room temperatures peaked at a scorching 47.5 degrees centigrade but when external blinds were employed, this was reduced by 41%.
Currently around 20% of homes in the UK overheat and by mid 2030 90% of housing stock will suffer from overheating. In 2022, the UK experienced 3 heatwaves with a record temperature of 40.3 degrees centigrade recorded. By 2050, if we do not do anything about our emissions it is expected that 40 degrees centigrade will be the new average summer temperature and we will experience heatwaves of 40 degrees centigrade +.
The time is now for external shading! Our Managing Director, Stuart Dantzic comments “External blinds keep you cool and look great doing it. They block damaging UV rays whilst admitting diffused natural daylight. They offer sufficient glare protection and contribute to the cooling of rooms whilst maintaining the view. Air conditioning use becomes a thing of the past saving money on energy bills and reducing a buildings carbon emissions. External blinds are a part of the solution in the fight against climate change. Very healthy and green indeed!”
To find out more about the benefits and advantages of external shading in helping create cool, comfortable and sustainable buildings, our Shading Guide, put together by industry experts provides a wealth of information and data – view here. In addition a new design guide “Shading for Housing”, which we were proud to sponsor, commissioned by the Good Homes Alliance (GHA) and BBSA and consisting of research led by award-winning architects Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE) provides a wealth of information on the transformative benefits of incorporating shading right from the start of housing design.
If you are already convinced of the benefits of incorporating external shading into your home or business, our knowledgeable team are just a phone call away on 0344 800 1947 and will be able to discuss with you the best external shading solutions for your application, requirement and budget – all manufactured right here in the UK in less than 2 weeks
