Are shades effective?

[Tiger]

Dear all,

The kids are complaining about their rooms being too hot this Summer. Had a look at shade cloth blinds, think the brand is Coolaroo. Just wanted to know if anyone has used them and whether they proved effective or not. They fairly inexpensive compared to canvas and are easy to install but would like to have any feedback before I commit. Thanks.

[OBBob]

Hi, I have never used that specific type ... only the canvas but my comment would be that it is significantl;y better to shade the outside (as you are proposing) rather than the inside of the windows.

I would think it should help a fair bit ... as long as the heat is coming through the windows, not from lack of insulation or air flow from other areas of the house.

[Barry_White]

Tiger

I think you are talking about external blinds. I think you will find the Coolaroo blinds are made from shade cloth. Certainly not as good as total block out canvas but would certainly help if you can keep the sun of the windows.

You will also get a significant amount of heat build up from the walls also but most of your heat will come through the windows if they are facing the west.

[Tiger]

Thanks gentlemen, they are external shade cloth blinds. Would really like to put in air conditioning but that could be some time away, at the moment just trying to get the kids through this summer.

[Clinton1]

I have them on our north facing windows, the western side is shaded with a pergola.
They make a difference of a few degrees, but 30 is better than 35, right? Get the densest ones you can (although canvas is superior) and also make them made as wide as possible to get the sun off the brick.

[Stuart]

I used blinds (full canvas in my case) to keep the place cooler until I could afford air cond. They do make quite a bit of difference, but are not as good as the real thing (obviously) I now use them in conjunction with the air cond, as much to help the ac so it doesn't have to work as hard. (and therefore cost me more money)

[doug1]

We have full aluminium shades on a north and a western window and would not be without them. They reduce the heat a great deal, 80% according to Luxaflex

[OBBob]

Hi Guys ... its a bit off track but I rejigged our ducted heating at the start of this summer so that I can blow air from outside through the house. I made a sort of valve so you can select either recuirculated inside air for heating or take the air from outside in the evening when it has cooled down.

It makes quite a difference just to have the air circulating even if it isn't much cooler than inside ... just the evaperative effect I guess.

[FrankS]

Yes definitely! I installed a 2m Coolaroo pull-down shade (90% UV) on our west-facing deck and the temp difference is definitely significant. Plus we get the benefit of the shade allowing any breeze through.
Don't forget...Heat is only the absence of Cold.

[MurrayD99]

A building we had offices in had a/c and some kind of covering on the glass - but it still got unbearably hot. It turned out the dark aluminium joinery (mullions?) were heating up in the sun and transferring the heat inside. The a/c had no show of competing. You couldn't touch them inside. Sooo.... shading would have been a good idea in that place.

[Tiger]

Thanks for your responses. It seems like you're the only one that has got these Coolaroo blinds Frank. They don't seem like a popular option even though they are a lot cheaper than the canvas blinds but I think we'll go out and get a couple. Mind you, it has been so hot here that I think only a decent air conditiong system is going to help.

[Stuart]

Pity water is such a scarcity. A fine mist would help too - evaporation off the walls would drop the temp.

You could always (if you haven't already) get one of those portable evap units - in the very low humidity, high heat days at the moment, they are effective.

[Manix77]

G'Day Tiger

I've spent a lot of time moving between rental properties where no one put any effort into insulation or sun angles etc. I've found a pretty cheap and effective way of using shade cloth.

Get yourself some 90/95% shade cloth in a continuous length to cover the area you want to shade. Then simply clip it onto your gutters with bulldog clips. It takes me ten minutes to put the shade up at the begining of summer and another ten minutes to pull it down when it gets cool again. It doesn't look nearly as dodgy as it sounds and it makes a considerable difference to inside temperatures. By hanging the shade off the gutter you get a good standoff distance from the walls and windows and still allow plenty of breeze to circulate.

I've used this technique in Darwin, Wagga and Canberra, I haven't lost a shade yet despite some pretty ferocious weather (I used plenty of bulldog clips!)

Hope that helps

regards

Manix