Have you ever considered shading solutions for your windows during the colder months of the year? While it’s true that problems with too much natural light in the house occur during the sunnier months of the year, you can run into the same issues if you don’t have the right practical design set up. Even as the hours of daylight diminish! This is how you can prepare the windows of your home for year-round protection:
Year-round Shading Solutions
Fortunately, methods used to block natural light during the warmer months can also be applied during the fall and winter. Retractable screen systems are sometimes considered warm weather-only products, but they can help protect your house from the certain elements all year long!
Home energy efficiency during the fall and winter
In terms of money and protecting the environment, fall and winter make it challenging to upkeep an efficient home. For example, the sun pouring in through your windows can throw your indoor temperature control out of whack. Especially if you’ve installed new temperature monitoring systems! Thankfully, window treatments provide an effective block from unwanted natural light, while also giving you another decorative option. As wonderful and life-nourishing as the sun is, it can sometimes double as an annoyance. Simply plan ahead to avoid any inconveniences!
Shading Strategies
Maximizing your home’s utility during the colder months is actually very easy. By following a few simple steps recommended by United States Department of Energy and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, you will find that your energy bills are reduced and your living spaces are more comfortable.
- Exterior shading: Look for places outside your home where you can use overhangs, screens or natural shading elements. If you properly implement this strategy, it can further benefit you by protecting your home from wind, rain and snow.
- Prioritize windows on the west and south for shading. These are the directions where the sun will be at its most intense for the longest periods of time. By focusing more effort and resources here, you will be able to better manage the way light flows into your home.
- Consider glare: Glare can be just as big of an issue as temperature (although, they are often related). Check to see which surfaces in your home are hit the hardest by the sun and implement design ideas to alleviate that effect. For instance, if a cabinet is getting too much direct sunlight the color of the surface may fade. To fix that, you could use a retractable screen to block the window where the excess glare is coming from.
