Consumers across the UK are increasingly prioritising long-term sustainability when choosing products thanks to a growing awareness of climate change. This is also true when it comes to the biggest purchase of our lives: our homes, with architects seeing an increasing interest in houses built to Passivhaus standards.

Alongside demand for climate-friendly and energy efficiency measures, such as heat pumps and solar, external shading is also becoming more popular to help meet these eco-standards. External blinds not only keep homes and offices cool during the summer but help to save money on heating and avoid the need for energy-guzzling and expensive air conditioning units being installed.

A sustainable solution to overheating
In the face of more regular and intense heatwaves and just five degrees difference in making an environment sweltering or comfortable, overheating is becoming a big problem for both houses and offices, especially those with large windows. As such, Part O of the Building Regulations was introduced in 2023 to protect occupants from oppressively stifling environments by making sure overheating is taken into account when building new homes and offices. What people love about external blinds is they stop homes and offices becoming overheated in the first place, negating any need for further planet-harming measures such as air conditioning.

An impressive temperature drop
There is plenty of evidence to show that external blinds can make a dramatic difference to overheating. For example, Kensington Blinds was called to flats overlooking Gloucester Country Cricket ground in Bristol where temperatures climbed to a suffocating 29°C degrees on an average day. Our experts fitted Renson Fixscreen exterior blinds and saw the temperature drop almost immediately to a pleasant 22°C and best of all, residents could still enjoy views of the cricket pitch.

Slashing energy use
External blinds use a minimal amount of energy to raise and lower compared to a single air conditioning unit which could double your energy usage and electricity bill, and even become unsustainable during energy market turmoil. In fact, air conditioning units around the world are estimated to contribute to ten per cent of electricity consumption and almost four per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Some refrigerants and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioning units can also pollute the atmosphere and destroy the ozone.

External blinds are easy to maintain and can be controlled remotely too, so you can control the amount of sun entering the building. This is particularly important on cold days when the sun shines allowing you to bring the warmth of the sunshine inside.

Fresh air
Controlling the amount of solar glare into the building with external blinds also allows occupants to open the windows to let fresh air circulate around a building freely compared to AC units where the windows must remain closed to maintain the temperature. Not only is access to fresh air bound in law in offices but it’s vitally important to our health and wellbeing. Being able to open windows helps stop the spread of viruses and increases wellbeing and concentration if a building is prone to become stuffy in the summer.

A view outside
The special fabric used by Kensington Blinds reflects heat away from the window before it enters which can slash indoor temperatures by as much as five degrees. The blinds are made from an open weave, which allows plenty of light into the building and occupants to watch the world outside. So not only do our beautiful external blinds look sleek and stylish on homes and office buildings, but they also provide privacy.

Future proofing your building
As energy costs spiral, heat episodes increase in intensity and the country moves towards its 2050 net zero target, choosing external blinds is a long-term and sustainable option to futureproof a new building. Kensington Blinds has many years of experience in reducing overheating in buildings and can help you choose the best product for your project.

If you’d like to talk through the options, our experts would love to tell you more about the projects we have worked on and how we can help.

t: 0117 205 0324
sales@kensingtonblinds.uk
www.kensingtonblinds.uk