A lovely fresh home in these temperatures?

Keep the sun out and bring in cooler night air

It will continue to puff and sweat for a few more days with temperatures above 30 degrees. Fun for festival-goers, but less fun for those who just can't seem to cool down indoors. Reverting to an air conditioner may seem logical, but it just adds to the fact that we will have more heat waves like this in the future. Fortunately, there are other solutions.

Well-insulated and airtight construction: watch out in summer

If emissions of CO₂ continues to rise as it is now, the number of "summer days" per year (with temperatures above 25 degrees) will continue to increase. So we must all do our part to keep our energy consumption as low as possible. Good insulation and airtight building helps. Only: with this kind of heat, there is a risk that it will become too hot indoors and that the heat - precisely because of the good insulation - will no longer be returned outside.

Air conditioning: solution or cause?

Running an air conditioner at full blast may seem logical, but is actually just at the root of the problem. Air conditioners do bring coolness into your home, but they also dissipate heat outside. They are also real energy guzzlers, which are just contributing to rising CO2 emissions and climate change. Did you know that an air conditioner on full blast consumes as much as 3 irons? This creates a vicious circle because, indirectly, air conditioners indirectly cause more and more heat waves. Fortunately, there are alternative solutions.

Keep the sun out

It's as simple as it is logical: keep the sun from shining in through the windows. With large windows you get a lot of daylight into your home, but when the sun shines directly on them, those windows literally create a "greenhouse effect" indoors. Solar shading on the outside of those windows is the most efficient solution, because you block the sun before it can even reach the glass. Fabric blinds or screens have the advantage that you can still open them to enjoy the sun's heat (in winter, for example). In addition, unlike shutters, you can always look out of the window. Sunshades block the sun's rays, but not your vision or daylight. Above south-facing windows, an awning can also help to block out the sun.

Bring in cooler night air

It gets even more interesting when you combine that outdoor shading with intensive ventilation at night. The important thing is that you can bring in large quantities of fresher night air to cool your home. By leaving 2 opposite windows or sliding doors open all night, for example. Or better yet, through window grilles or folding shutters, permanently incorporated into the frame of your windows. Thanks to the integrated mosquito net, you also keep insects out and, finished with aluminum slats, burglars don't stand a chance either. A matter of being able to ventilate safely and comfortably.

Question & Answer

Why am I better at keeping the sun out (with outdoor blinds) than inside (with curtains)?
Without sun protection, direct sunlight enters through the glass (short-wave rays) and warms the interior (floor, furniture, walls). The heated interior in turn emits heat through long-wave rays reflected from the glass. So the heat actually gets trapped in the house, which is problematic in a well-insulated home. The key is to block the sun's rays before they reach the windows.

Are blinds alone enough to keep my home completely cool?
Installing shading already makes a big difference, but it is highly recommended to combine it with natural intensive (night) ventilation. Natural intensive ventilation uses large, natural air currents to cool the home at no cost. This is applied when the outside air is cooler than the inside air. Usually this is the case at night, which is why this principle is also known as "night cooling. To apply this principle in a home, one or more grilles are placed on the outside of the window.

How durable and weatherproof is cloth awning?
Fabric awnings can also be lowered with confidence in bad weather (heavy rain, wind, etc.) because they can withstand wind speeds of up to 130 km/h thanks to the guidance system. Fiberglass fabrics score best in terms of tightness and shape retention and are also highly resistant to moisture and heat. The fabric is also UV-resistant, colorfast and requires only regular maintenance with a mild detergent for years of use.

Will I still get daylight in with exterior blinds? And do I retain the view outside?
Unlike shutters, with cloth blinds indoors you are not limited in terms of light and visual contact with the outside. By leaving the shutters down, you lose your view of the garden. With cloth blinds, on the other hand, you maintain your view of the outside but block the bright rays of the sun. This is useful, for example, for keeping an eye on the garden when the children are playing outside. In addition to fabric awnings, there are also fixed outdoor awnings. These include aluminum slats (fixed or movable) for a window, an aluminum awning above a window or sliding panels to slide in front of the window. Even with these, you continue to enjoy daylight while the sun does not needlessly heat up your home.

Can I control outdoor blinds automatically?
Absolutely, more so: it is even strongly recommended. Outdoor blinds work best when they are controlled automatically (for example, using a lux meter that automatically lowers the blinds from a certain amount of sunlight). That way you get a real "smart home" that takes care of itself whether you're home or not. Of course, outdoor blinds can also be controlled via existing home automation systems.

Do blinds affect the energy consumption of my home?
Sure! By preventing your home from heating up too fast and too much, you also reduce the energy costs of cooling it back down through an expensive air conditioning or cooling system. On the other hand, during the colder months, you can take full advantage of solar gains and reduce home heating costs.

What risk do I run if my home 'overheats'?
If you can no longer cool down the indoor climate in your home, this mainly causes a comfort problem: sleeping becomes difficult, you can no longer cool down indoors, all efforts become difficult. The better insulated and airtight homes are, the more difficult it is for the heat that has gotten inside to escape. Research shows that the number of warm days per year is increasing and the number of days when heating is needed is decreasing. Thus, the importance of shading is increasing to avoid overheating and reduce heating needs.

More info? Renson, with the slogan "Are you also melting for a wonderfully fresh house?" is currently launching an online campaign on how to use screens and night cooling to control indoor temperatures in a sustainable and energy-efficient way. Surf to https://www.renson.eu/nl-be/te-warm-in-huis