Screens have come of age; but how next?

Sales conversation in the showroom changes

Anyone still talking about screens as an attractive facade product in 2026 is missing what is really going on in the market. Screens are no longer an accessory, but a serious answer to an increasingly urgent issue: how do we keep buildings comfortable, energy efficient and manageable in a warmer climate? Just as the new shading season begins, that realization is more acute than ever. The industry has long since stopped selling just shade, but demonstrable performance.

This is not a fashionable formulation, but the reality of the built environment. Houses and utility buildings are becoming better insulated, glass surfaces remain large, and the risk of overheating is receiving increasingly emphatic attention in regulations and design practice. The Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) explicitly pointed out and already points out that direct solar radiation has a major influence on overheating and calls exterior shading an energetically strong, passive measure. Moreover, since July 1, 2024, the rules around underpinning cooling have been tightened, which makes limiting solar radiation even more relevant. 

Maturity in the sales conversation

This also changes the sales conversation in the showroom and at the kitchen table. Of course color, view to the outside and aesthetic integration into the facade remain important. But more and more it revolves around another question: what does a screen actually deliver in use? This is precisely where the maturity of this product segment lies. A good screen today sells itself not only on appearance, but on summer comfort, cooling demand reduction and performance predictability. This requires a specialist dealer who not only installs, but advises. 

Innovation in this regard has long since ceased to be exclusively in the fabric or cassette. The real progress lies in the sum of system quality, smart control and knowledge of the application. Automatic control of sun, wind, temperature and time makes screens more effective than manual operation can ever be. ES-SO (The European Shading Organization) has been pointing out for years that dynamic shading can make a substantial contribution to reducing cooling demand and improving comfort. For the specialist, this means a clear shift: less product sales sec, more integral advice on orientation, use, operation and results. 

Doing what they need to do

Sustainability is also gaining more substance. Not as an empty marketing concept, but as the sum of lifespan, maintenance, replaceability of parts and reliable operation in the long term. The market demands solutions that not only look good on delivery, but also do what they are supposed to do after many years. This is when measuring, motorization, adjustment and service become distinguishing factors. This brings the craftsmanship of the specialist store more into focus. 

At the same time, the market is becoming more businesslike and transparent. Performance is increasingly substantiated through standards and classifications, making innovation not just about novelty, but about demonstrable quality. This is a win for an industry that is still sometimes too modest about its own significance. After all, screens are not just another product on the outside of a building. They are an active link in the indoor climate. And that is precisely why they deserve their prominent place in this special: because they show how sun protection is developing from a seasonal product to a serious climate solution.