I love the feeling of the sun streaming in through the windows on a cold day. The light and warmth can boost my mood and make me long for summer days.
Then, summer days arrive, and that sun is hot, hot, hot. The A/C seems to be cranking all the time and I am wondering why I haven’t thought about shade for those windows.
Lucky for me, and you, retractable window awnings are a thing and they are the perfect type of awning for those who want to choose when to invite the sun in and when to keep it out.
Window awnings are attractive, and they can create some amazing curb appeal but that is not their main purpose. Window awnings are meant to keep the sun from beating in through your windows. The hot sun raises the temperature in your home and those harmful UV rays can fade furniture, fabrics, and even flooring. Putting shade over those windows can reduce solar heat gain and help lower your cooling costs in the summer.
However, as that old saying goes, there is another side to the sun and energy savings story. The earth’s atmosphere in the fall and winter months blocks some of the sun’s harmful UV rays. Where we live, the temperature is much cooler and the sun is weaker during these seasons. Letting the sunshine in through your windows can help increase the temperature in your home and lower your heating costs. Plus, natural light can help boost mood, especially during the winter months when we aren’t getting outdoors as often. So, sometimes it’s a good thing to welcome the sunshine.
Here’s the point, retractable window awnings can be extended for shade or retracted for sunshine. You get to choose how and when your windows are protected. Even better, they can be motorized so that you can partially or fully extend or retract one window awning at a time or an entire group of window awnings with just the touch of a button.
Fabric awnings are exposed to the elements. It’s just a fact and the fabric will not last forever. Eventually, you will need to consider having your awning frames recovered with new fabric. Here’s the benefit of having retractable window awnings, when the awning is retracted, the fabric is protected from the elements. That means your awnings get exposed to less sun, rain, wind, and dirt. This feature will help increase the life of your awning fabric. Plus, you can get away with cleaning them less often. Don’t you love it when a product helps you save money in more than just one way?
Let’s revisit the curb appeal benefit of awnings. It may not be the most important aspect of window awnings but, it is significant. Retractable window awnings can be just as easily customized as the retractable you are using over your deck or patio. The frames come in a variety of colors and there are hundreds of different fabric options to choose from. You can also change up the valance style for a more customized look. They can be mounted several different ways and the pitch is adjustable so you can block the sun from the right angle. You can’t beat that combination of functionality and beauty.
