Your Guide to Summer Shading

Outdoor bar with an automated power screen, outdoor furniture and pool

Summer has finally arrived! As solar shading experts, we’ve put together a guide to summer shading to help you get the best out of your home in the sunshine… Hint: screens are the answer!

 

Why would you need solar shading?

An unprotected home designed to utilise natural light can be vulnerable to:

 

  • Excessive heat build
  • Harsh solar glare
  • Solar bleaching on furniture

 

This can be particularly impactful in south or west-facing areas of the home, and near reflective surfaces such as water.

 

What do automated screens have to offer?

Range of mesh options

Our high-performance mesh comes in a range of colours and thicknesses dependant on the screens’ purpose. These can be broken down into four categories:

  • Insect Protection (55% UV block)
  • Solar Management (75% UV block)
  • Premium Solar Management (80% UV block)
  • Privacy (95% UV block)

 

All our screens provide a level of solar shading, but the higher the UV block, the cooler the room. Also, the darker/thicker the mesh chosen, the more privacy is achieved. This is because light bounces off the screens, so passers-by can’t see in, but your view remains uninterrupted.

 
Design

All Phantom Screens are handmade in our factory where they are specially tailored for your home. Our automated power screens offer an integrated solar solution with zero impact to architectural design.

 

Spanning openings in a single span up to 12m wide, our screens can be recessed for a contemporary, integrated look. Alternatively, screens can be fitted in a head box internally or externally. Designed to fit the current modern home aesthetic, we colour-match screens to existing frames to ensure they blend in perfectly as if they were always part of the design.

Home with large opening leading to outdoor seating area, separated by an automatic solar screen

Additional benefits

Solar shading in automated screens has many additional benefits. These include:

 

Insect protection

All our automated screens provide complete insect protection when deployed. This means you can leave your doors and windows open to enjoy natural ventilation without any unwanted bugs entering your home.

 

Durability

Weather can be variable, so being able to withstand a range of conditions is essential to our screens’ design. Our technical team are highly experienced in build integration and passionate about bringing you the best quality product. This is why our robust, four-sided zipped integrated power screens are built to last.

 
Smart features

Our screens can be linked up to a home automation system and controlled from your smartphone, tablet, or smart speaker. Go a step further with the addition of weather detectors for auto deployment.

 

Increased privacy

Whilst solar screen mesh doesn’t block your view out of the house, it is a thicker weave than mesh used in standard insect protection screens. This means it is harder to see into your home, so your privacy and security is increased.

 

Reduced need for air conditioning

Integrating our solar screens into a build scheme helps to manage ‘G’ Value (the measure of how much solar heat is allowed through a particular part of a building) providing great value for money and a greener lifestyle. This is achieved by allowing cool air to circulate and greatly reduce solar gains.

 

Insulation

Smart screens can help provide additional insulation by retaining latent heat when deployed. Pair this with patio heaters and you can continue to enjoy outdoor spaces long after temperatures start to drop.

 

Improved performance rating

Solar control screens contribute significantly to the building’s overall performance rating when heating, cooling, and lighting performance are included in build calculations.

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