The comfort in your home is largely determined by how much natural light and heat is allowed to enter the property. You obviously do not want to completely block out the sun, as in the winter months the extra heat and light helps drive down energy bills. So finding suitable window coverings is essential.
Window design in modern homes is much more complex, which often results in larger windows that potentially allow more heat and light to enter the home. A lot of homeowners are also opting for open-plan home design. There is a fine balance in an open-plan home between too much heat and not enough – a problem that is easily solved with the right window coverings.
Window Coverings Style & Materials
Both the style and materials that you choose for your window coverings will have an impact on heat and light absorption. The level of insulation offered by many traditional blinds has greatly improved due to the advances in the technology used in production. In the Northern Territory, you have no problem finding blinds that are specially suited to the climate.
Traditional blinds, including roller blinds, verticals, roman shades and panel glides may contain insulating or reflective properties that will provide additional shade from the sun. There are three common ways that this is achieved: Specially layered material, reflective weaving and fabrics that are designed with blockout properties. Honeycomb blinds are also specially designed to help maintain optimum temperature levels in the home.
Colour & Opacity
The colour and opacity of window coverings will affect the amount of heat and light that enters through windows. Light colours will reflect the sun in the summer, which is why many homeowners opted for window coverings which are light coloured on one side and darker on the other. While having the light coloured side facing the window in the summer will help keep the sun out, reversing the window covering in the winter will allow more heat into the home.
Translucent materials are used to reduce the impact of direct sunlight, resulting in a cooler home in the summer. However, these types of materials are not ideal for completely blocking light from the sun so they are best suited to areas such as sunrooms. For the rooms in your home that receive the most natural sunlight, blockout materials are the ideal choice in blinds.
While the choice between blinds, drapes or shades is ultimately your own, each does have its own advantages. Well fitted shades provide total block out of the sun, blinds are ideal for blocking out the heat and controlling light levels and specially designed drapes will reduce the amount of heat build-up in the home. For best results, it is recommended that you use a combination of different window coverings depending on your needs in each room.
Solar Window Screens
Another option for Northern Territory window coverings is solar window screens. Modern solar window screens can block up to 90% of the sun, while still allowing natural sunlight to enter the home without blinding you. With solar window screens you are still able to see the outside clearly, although visibility is typically reduced as the percentage of protection increases.
Houspect provides homeowners in Northern Territory and across Australia with building inspections carried out by professional builders. Our experts are on hand to answer questions and supply quality reports, which are also prepared and ready within 24-48 hours of inspection.
