ᐅ Exterior blinds for shading during summer

Zaba12 schrieb:


I don’t know how to take such statements from prospective homeowners or Silke seriously. Sorry. But in summer, you can’t do without external venetian blinds and roller shutters (you can clearly see this in every residential area – every single house is shaded without exception), and after 3–4 days at or above 30°C (86°F), you can no longer ventilate the heat out. Everyone who has a lot of glass in the south has to experience this for themselves.

Just accept that people are different.
If it’s 30°C (86°F) outside during the day and I have many windows open, the inside will also be 30°C (86°F). We don’t mind that, just not for sleeping. When it’s that warm outside during the day, I’m usually just outside anyway, so I don’t care how warm it is inside.
If it’s 20°C (68°F) at night (or 22°C (72°F) if you prefer, it hardly ever gets warmer here; last summer we had 5 nights above 20°C (68°F)), then at night I get those 20°C (68°F) inside the house if I keep the windows open across the house all night. Also, our bedroom faces north, so no sun ever comes in; by the time the sun is around, it’s behind the neighboring houses, so it will never reach 30°C (86°F) there, especially since the door is kept closed during the day.
And if it turns out differently in the new house than I expect, an air conditioner will be installed in the bedroom. It will then only have to run at night during the few really hot nights.

motorradsilke schrieb:

Simply accept that people are different.
If it’s 30°C (86°F) outside during the day and I have many windows open, I’ll also get 30°C inside. That’s fine, just not for sleeping. When the temperature is that high during the day, I’m usually outside anyway, so I don’t mind how warm it is inside.
If it’s 20°C (68°F) at night (or even 22°C (72°F); it rarely gets warmer here – last summer we had only 5 nights over 20°C), then I’ll have the same 20°C inside if I keep windows open across the house the whole night. Also, our bedroom faces north, so no direct sunlight comes in; before the sun reaches that side, it’s already behind the neighboring houses, so it never gets close to 30°C there, especially since the door is closed during the day.
And if it turns out differently in the new house than I expect, we will install an air conditioner in the bedroom. It just has to run during the few truly hot nights.

I’m saying you’re not considering the new house. If it’s around 30°C (86°F) or higher during the day, you won’t just get 22°C (72°F) at night by airing out. The building envelope is so warmed up that after closing the windows, the temperature immediately rises back to around 25°C (77°F), even though we have a well-insulated house with a concrete ceiling and more.

We also have more glass than wall on the south and west sides (ground floor). In the morning, at 6 a.m., we do a quick airing for 1 hour at 17°C (63°F), but after closing the windows, the temperature inside the ground floor was already back to 20°C (68°F). If you leave the patio door or windows open without shading and don’t close them immediately or want to leave them open, I recommend you prepare for air conditioning, no matter how different you might be. I’m not the only one here telling you that what you believe sounds unrealistic.

However, and I want to put this into perspective, with sloped external blinds and temperatures up to 25°C (77°F) in summer, it’s really comfortable, even at night.

Depending on the neighboring buildings and the shadows they cast, I would also install an exterior venetian blind on the west-facing window. In the late afternoon and evening, you'd otherwise have to lower the roller shutter to avoid glare while watching TV – which I find too uncomfortable.

We have two sets of double door units on the south side (the only windows, in a semi-detached house). One side has an awning, the other a glass canopy with shading. In high summer, extending these from around 11 a.m. onwards is enough to keep the sun out of the room.
At the moment, however, the sun is still too low and shines underneath. Anyone with light-sensitive furniture, pictures, or any other collections in their living space might prefer to keep an exterior venetian blind partially lowered. Just another point to consider, since I don’t know if you have any light-sensitive interests.

The amount of heat buildup in the house during summer also depends on the glass areas,
in some designs up to 120%,
for @motorradsilke and also for us about 50% of the south/west facade, and since it is a bungalow, in summer it is shaded under the roof overhang or under the awning.
I don’t lower the blinds when I am constantly going through these patio doors; living with and in the garden is the idea.

Zaba12 schrieb:

I'm saying you're not considering the new house properly. If it's around 30°C (86°F) or higher during the day, you won't get 22°C (72°F) just because it's 22°C (72°F) in the evening and you ventilate. The building shell is so heated up that as soon as you close the windows, the temperature goes straight back to around 25°C (77°F), and we have a really well-insulated house with a concrete ceiling and so on.

I wasn't referring to ventilating for just one hour in the evening, but ventilating during the night — meaning the whole night, or at least a few hours. But normally, on days like that, we stay outside until bedtime anyway. During that time, windows and doors are open, so if you come inside at 10 p.m., it won't still be 30°C (86°F) indoors because it has already been much cooler for several hours.

But whatever, I see I'm alone with my opinion here. To me, sun and any kind of shading just don’t go together conceptually — I really dislike that idea. When it's sunny, everything that can be opened should be opened, and I need to get outside if possible.

Nida35a schrieb:

...
I’m not going to lower the blinds every time I go through this patio door; living with and in the garden is what it’s all about.

I’m glad that our main exit to the terrace is covered and therefore always in the shade 🙂

On the south side, when the sun is shining, the blinds are lowered to 70%. That provides enough sun protection without making the room too dark.