How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with External Shade Solutions

The world is in an energy crisis, and we all need to do our part to solve it. Science has come a long way when it comes to delivering alternative energy sources and finding new ways to power our lifestyle is critical. However, learning how to get more out of our existing resources is just as important. One way Perth, WA residents can make a massive difference in how much energy they use is to invest in external shades for their home and businesses.

A typical day in Perth is sunny and warm, especially during the spring and summer months. Naturally, during these times, air conditioning exacts a heavy toll on the energy bill.  You can improve your property’s energy efficiency by installing a quality shading solution like external blinds from Soltex.

Not only will external blinds improve your property’s aesthetics, but it will also have a significant influence in reducing your home or business’s overall energy bill. It’s a passive design that several studies have shown can pay for itself in a relatively short amount of time. In hot climates like Perth, you could reduce your cooling bill by as much as 10% with external shades.

The Main Benefits of External Shading

External shading is a passive solution, lasts for decades, and requires little maintenance once you have it installed. If you wanted to find a simple way to significantly reduce your carbon footprint without making dramatic changes to your lifestyle, then here are a few more benefits of external shading from Soltex.

• Improved thermal control during winter and summer
• Enhanced visual comfort
• Sound dampening properties
• Reduced glare from windows
• More control over heat exchange through windows
• Improved air circulation
• Extra privacy and security
• Reduced energy costs
• Improved workplace productivity

The Problem with Glazing

Double glazing, where windows have two or more panes of glass with space in between, is often considered a luxury only necessary in colder climates. However, double glazed windows’ insulation properties are just as effective at keeping heat out as they are at trapping warmth inside.

Most buildings in Australia do not have double glazing installed. Even though 87% of summer heat in a typical suburban home is transferred to the interior through its windows, Australian property developers have been slow to catch on to its benefits.  When single glazed windows are your only option, external shades are an affordable means to insulate your home from the outside heat and reduce your energy consumption.

Harvesting Natural Light with External Shades

External shades give you more control over how much light and heat enter your property and provide you with more interior lighting options. In the average office environment, the entire interior workspace is often illuminated solely by electrical lighting.

Adjustable external shades give you more control over the natural lighting entering the interior of the building. Natural light reduces the reliance on artificial sources of illumination that consume electrical energy.

The savings might seem minimal because electrical lighting is quite efficient nowadays. Still, when added up on a global scale, the reduction in the use of carbon-based electrical power will be significant.

Benefits can be found not just in reduced energy, but exposure to natural daylight has also shown benefits for people’s mental health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that workers exposed to daylight sleep more and report more restful sleep. [*1]

Buildings with too many exposed glass windows contribute to internal heating. External shade solutions from Soltex add a high level of control to the amount of light and heat entering the environment, which can easily be changed according to the time of day and the seasons.

You can retract external shades in winter to let in more light and warmth and reduce your reliance on electrical or gas heating. In summer, you can control the amount of light and shade to block more heat during the hottest part of the day and reduce the air conditioning system load.

Adjustable external shading is the most cost-effective system for finding the best balance between light and warmth during the changing seasons or even throughout various times of the day. 

External Shades Improve Sustainability

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has identified passive cooling systems like external shades as a priority because of its ability to reduce or even eliminate the reliance on powered cooling systems. [*2]

Air conditioners have no impact on radiant heat exchange. The hotter it gets outside, the more energy you will use keeping the interior at optimum temperatures, and the more significant will be the impact on overall air quality.

Air conditioning currently uses 10% of the world’s energy use, but as global warming increases, that figure will likely rise.  In some buildings, air-con is known to increase that building’s carbon footprint by up to 100%.

External Shades are Conducive to Productive Environments

More than 90% of people in developed countries spend most of their time indoors under artificial lighting, whether they are at work or home. Creating indoor conditions that are as comfortable as possible is critical to productivity. 

Shading solutions like external shades can improve work performance, with studies showing that work performance decreases when temperatures fall between 19 and 22 °C or above 23 and 24 °C.

Lower indoor temperatures inhibit dexterity and lower workplace performance levels. Likewise, higher indoor air temperatures can impact health by increasing stress levels and blood pressure.

High temperatures in the workplace also facilitate the transmission of viruses and other infections, affecting productivity. Glare and reflections in the workplace have also been responsible for eyestrain and headaches.

Double window glazing has a minimal effect on reducing noise levels, but external shading does a great job of absorbing and blocking traffic noise from a busy street and noisy neighbours, creating a more comfortable workplace, and improving productivity.

In short, a well-rested comfortable workforce will be more productive, which makes external shades an excellent investment in your business or for your home office.

As you can see, external shades from Soltex can provide numerous benefits to your home or business beyond simple aesthetics and extra shade. A passive system that helps you control your indoor environment will reduce your reliance on electrical or gas-powered heating systems. You will also create a more comfortable home and workplace, improve employee productivity, and provide a relaxing location for your customers.

Citations
[*1] https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-office-workers-longer-exposed-daylight.html
[*2] https://www.iea-shc.org/Data/Sites/1/publications/task34-Empirical_Validations.pdf

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