Smart Shopper Shade Solutions

External shading can prevent damaging rays, heat and glare from entering your home so you stay cool and comfortable all summer.

- Georgia Madden

As the season heats up, keeping your home cool becomes a top priority. Interior window coverings help greatly, but the real key to passive-cooling success is adequate external shading, says architect Stephen Guthrie, co-director at Bark Design Architects. “It’s better to tackle heat and glare before it hits your home,” he says. “By doing so, you prevent heat being transferred inside.”

Exterior awnings, venetians, roller blinds and shutters all block heat and glare and allow you to choose the level of shading to suit your home and climate. External roller blinds offer good flexibility and performance, says Pino Alessi, managing director at architectural window furnishings firm Alessi Design Group. “External roller blinds will prevent 50 to 60 per cent of heat from entering your home, while exterior venetians can block up to 85 per cent. Venetians cost about 25 per cent more than roller blinds, but you will reap the savings in power bills down the track.”