This Global Shading Day, we’re celebrating the innovative power of solar shading. In a world increasingly conscious of energy consumption and the impact of climate change, this simple yet profoundly impactful concept plays a vital role in creating more comfortable, energy efficient and sustainable living environments all year round. Join us as we explore the benefits of solar shading solutions and how you can incorporate them into your home.

Why Shading Matters

Solar shading refers to the passive techniques and solutions designed to control the amount of sunlight and solar heat that enters a building. These help regulate indoor temperatures, preventing interiors from overheating in the summer and providing thermal barriers to retain heat in the winter. Here’s some of the key benefits of solar shading:

• Energy Efficiency: By blocking direct sunlight, shading offers an energy-efficient alternative to cooling systems such as air conditioning, lowering energy demand and carbon emissions. This translates to lower energy bills and a smaller environmental footprint.
• Health and Wellbeing: As global temperatures continue to rise, buildings are becoming more susceptible to overheating. Excessive heat can lead to heatstroke and other health issues, particularly in vulnerable populations. Solar shading significantly lowers the amount of heat absorbed by buildings and provides vital protection from the sun’s harmful rays, reducing the risks associated with overheating.
• Improved Indoor Comfort: Solar shading creates a more comfortable and consistent indoor temperature, eliminating hot spots and glare. It also provides a level of privacy from the outside world.
• UV Protection: Shading provides UV protection to your furniture, carpets and belongings to help prevent fading and damage caused by direct sunlight.
• Enhanced Natural Light: Effective solar shading doesn’t mean blocking out all sunlight. Instead, it allows for diffused, natural light, creating a bright and airy atmosphere without the harsh glare.
• Enhanced Aesthetics: Beyond practical benefits, well-designed shading can also enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication.

Interior Shading Solutions

Dynamic and adjustable interior shading solutions such as interior blinds and shutters are a convenient and cost-effective way of managing solar heat to benefit your home all year round. According to the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA), research has shown that blinds and shutters can reduce heat loss through windows by up to 33%. They can also keep rooms cooler when closed on hotter days and help to create comfortable indoor environments with light and glare control.

Roller blinds are a classic and versatile shading solution. Available in a wide choice of designs, roller blind fabrics can cater to any shading requirement from blackout fabrics ideal for bedrooms to translucent options suitable for living rooms. Silent Gliss offer an excellent choice of performance fabrics suitable for roller blinds with additional light, glare and energy management properties. The Silent Gliss Colorama 1 Alu and Reflex fabrics are superb examples, featuring an aluminium backing that delivers superior light control and solar heat reflection to help keep rooms at an ambient temperature. This is particularly beneficial for south-facing rooms, or for rooms with large expanses of glass which can get very hot. Alternatively, our bespoke made to measure roller blinds can be specified with an impressive Louvolite fabric. All Louvolite fabrics have a UV and Energy Rating (ER) so you can specify options with better thermal efficiency and high UV protection to minimise solar gain.

Appeal Home Shading also offers a comprehensive range of tailored shading solutions that carefully balance style and function to help elevate your living spaces. Their innovative Honeycomb energy saver blinds are a fantastic example, featuring a unique double-layered hexagonal design that traps air inside to act as an insulator, helping to retain warmth in the winter. The blinds also feature a 78% reflective barrier to reduce excessive heat in the summer. This unique solution is suitable for straight, apex, gable or shaped windows and lends itself well to rooms with lots of glazing such as conservatories, orangeries, barn conversions and rooms with shaped ends. They can also be motorised and can seamlessly integrate with your smart home system, offering unparalleled convenience and energy efficiency. Learn more here.

Exterior Shading Solutions

External shading solutions such as awnings, pergolas and overhangs can also provide effective management of solar heat. These fixed structures can be integrated into a building’s facade to help intercept sunlight before it hits your windows and walls. This significantly reduces the amount of heat absorbed by your home to maintain cooler indoor temperatures. Awnings, pergolas and overhangs are a natural and sustainable cooling solution that not only enhance outdoor living spaces, but can also boost your home’s energy efficiency and curb appeal.

In partnership with Appeal Home Shading, we are delighted to offer a superb range of retractable patio Haus awnings that outstretch to provide instant shade and shelter. Custom-made to your precise measurements, our awnings offer shading flexibility and are particularly effective for south-facing facades that receive the most direct sunlight. They can also be manually or automatically operated and are available with optional integrated weather sensors for intelligent climate management. These provide automated shade control so your awning will extend to provide optimal sun protection and retract during high winds, seamlessly blending practicality with sophisticated design. A pergola with a retractable fabric roof is also available. By investing in external awnings or pergolas, you can create a more comfortable, energy-efficient, and enjoyable living space, both inside and out.

Overview

Whether you’re building a new home or looking to improve the energy efficiency of your existing one, now is the perfect time to integrate sustainable solar shading into your daily life. By harnessing the power of the sun while keeping its heat at bay, shading solutions are a wise investment that will pay dividends in comfort and savings for years to come.

Please get in touch if we can offer any assistance with your project. We do offer a complimentary bespoke design consultation service, both virtually and face to face, from our showroom in Brockenhurst and can also arrange for fabric samples to be sent out.

Email sales@thehomeofinteriors.co.uk or call us on 01590 615775.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @myhomeofinteriors

Follow us on YouTube