The most preferred properties in UK property listings are South-facing windows. Estate agents adore them, buyers will pay more to buy, and they flood your home with natural light during the day. However, there is another aspect to south-facing windows which is seldom discussed in the glossy property brochures: the blinding glare, the solar heat, turning rooms to the appearance of a green house by mid-afternoon, and the UV damage that eats away furniture, flooring and paintings. The balancing act itself of accommodating all these downsides without sacrificing the benefits comes with the selection of the correct window coverings.
Understanding the Challenge
Flat, south-facing windows in the UK have direct sunlight most of the day, with the highest exposure to the sun being between late morning and mid afternoon. In summer, the sun is overhead and therefore, light penetrates at a very steep angle and gets very far inside the room. During winter, the sun is lower with long shafts of light falling across the floors and other pieces of furniture. The two situations cause two kinds of issues: summer is too hot and glary, winter is too glady but without all the heat.
The best south-facing window blind must be able to cope with two extremes. It must diminish the glare and UV light outside without turning the room into a dark hole and it must be used to help regulate the aspect of solar heat invasion without having to spend half a year living behind closed blinds. It is very few types of blind who can handle all this well.
Venetian Blinds: The Precision Option
For south-facing windows, venetian blinds offer the most precise control over incoming light. By angling the slats, you can redirect sunlight towards the ceiling rather than letting it stream directly into the room. This spreads the light, removes glare on the screens and removes the severity of direct sun, at the same time ensuring that the room remains light and airy. There is no other kind of type-blind which allows you this amount of latitude during the day.
Venetians that are made of aluminium are most effective as the metallic nature reflects the part of solar heat through the glass. The wider slats are used fifty millimetres instead of the usual twenty five, and this gives a better coverage, and a more modern appearance. Faux-wood venetians are the same in providing the same level of control in terms of light with a more natural look.
Solar Reflective Roller Blinds: The Low-Maintenance Choice
In case you want the simplicity of a roller blind, find those with a solar reflective coating. These types of fabrics contain a metallic cover that reflects a large proportion of solar radiation before entering into the room. Another great way to wear it is by using sunscreen fabrics, which are made of small holes or perforations that help to shield glare and heat but still enable you to view the cloth (when it is light) during the daytime. It can be seen inside with a bit of color, sun glasses but outside with the blind it is clear.
Roller screen sunscreens are popular especially in the home office and the living rooms that have most of the south facing windows in their structures. They eliminate the glare of the screen, they make the room significantly cooler without compelling you to twiddle the blind all day long.
Conservatory-Style Solutions for Large Windows
If your south-facing room has particularly large windows or a glazed extension, the same principles that apply to conservatory blinds become relevant. Large glazed areas amplify both heat gain and glare, and standard blinds may not provide sufficient coverage. Large south-facing windows are best also suited with the use of pleated blinds, one with a reflective backing. They can even be custom-fit to virtually any shape size and they have a small stack width which enables them to occupy little space once completely erected.
In bifold/sliding doors that open towards the south, vertical blinds or panel blinds provide full coverage and easy access to the doors. When the doors are open they can be attracted to an side and in case they are shut they can be pulled across to deal with light and heat.
Protecting Your Interior from UV Damage
UV damage is one of the problems that a great number of homeowners can determine once it is too late. Continuous exposure to sunlight in a wood floor will lead to colour fading, upholstery drying out and artwork becomes ruined. South facing rooms are particularly susceptible owing to the prolonged exposure during daytime. UV filtering Blinds UV Filtering UV filtering shields up to 99 percent of harmful UV light, leaving the visible light to enter your home, yet blocking the box effect of a dark room.
Finding the Right Balance
When considering south-facing windows, the ideal solution would be to consider what is the most annoying thing. A sunscreen roller blind or angled venetian is the best solution in case the glare on the screens is the major problem. A reflective solar blind made up of metallic backing with a reflective coating will have the greatest impact, should temperature be the priority. In case the taste is on UV protection, one can find blinds that are specially designed as UV filters. You are often likely to have one carefully selected blind and see your south-facing rooms all year round, not hating them but making them comfortable and pleasant.
