Have you ever walked in to your child’s bedroom and thought it was too hot, or too cold? Probably. If you live in a ‘smart building’ where everything is automated then the issues of temperature comfort will be less noticeable otherwise, temperature is something that we control in the home and change to suit our own comfort levels.
Due to our northern hemisphere location, most people in the UK would likely report that in winter the main complaint from their children about temperature in the home would be ‘it’s too cold’ or ‘it’s too hot’ in the summer, blinds and shutters offer a solution to this problem without the need of added technology in children’s bedrooms.
Often, temperature issues in the home can be attributed to double glazed windows keeping the heat in, in all seasons and the strength of the sun in warmer months. Double glazed windows are extremely beneficial when it’s minus figures outside but not so when we reach the summer and your child’s bedroom becomes too hot to comfortably relax and get quality, rejuvenating sleep.
In the winter, blinds which use a fabric with a honey-comb design will help to keep the chill out, as will internal shutters. Well-fitted, child safe, blinds will stop draughts getting in and keep your children’s bedrooms at a temperature which is “just right” without the need to keep turning up the central heating, which can affect the quality of air and cause other discomforts.
In summer, blinds act as a physical block between the sun and the inside of your home, this means the heat can’t get through and will stop harmful UV rays also. If you choose the right fabric (seek advice from a BBSA approved blind & shutter professional for this information) natural light will still be able to penetrate through but heat and the UV rays will be blocked.
A great example of shutters for this purpose is many of the houses seen across the Mediterranean, the beautiful shutters adorning the windows aren’t just decorative but primarily for the practical reason of keeping the houses cool in the heat.
The British Blind & Shutter Association have conducted research into overheating and found via a study of a London flat, which didn’t have shutters, in September the inside of the room reached 47.5c. That’s hotter than the average temperature in Death Valley, California of 47c. They flat next door had shutters fitted outside the windows and was 19c cooler. Aside from the extreme nature and obvious danger of this scenario, children are most comfortable at temperatures between 18c and 24c, which doesn’t leave much room for error to get it “just right” in your child’s bedroom.
Top tip: pull the blinds or shutters at around 4pm, in the winter this allows time for the room to warm up and in summer plenty of time for it to cool down before bedtime.
