As the mercury begins to rise it is only natural that we want to enjoy more of the glorious Australian sunshine that is heading our way. But sometimes that sun can heat up your home to uncomfortable levels, lead to higher energy bills and make it difficult to sleep – especially for shift workers. The perfect solution is roller blinds and the latest innovations make it simple to control the sunlight in your home.
Everything you need to know about roller blinds
While roller blinds may be simple in design, they can include a range of different features and technologies to suit each individual’s needs. Getting to know these features will allow you to come up with the right solution for your home and give you complete control over how much sun, light and breeze is allowed to enter your rooms.
How do roller blinds work?
The technology behind a roller blind is relatively simple; a hollow tube allows you to raise or drop a large sheet of fabric that is fitted to your windows or doors and a ratchet holds it in place with a spring allow for rapid operation. They move up and down smoothly and can be totally retracted quickly by using a simple jerk motion.
Modern designs also feature remote control capabilities – or even operation from smart devices like your phone or computer tablet to give you complete control over the volume of sunlight entering your home or business.
How are roller blinds different from traditional blinds?
Roller blinds allow you to have more control over the level of sunlight in your home. While there are full blackout options available, you can also have transparent fabrics that allow for soft lighting and you can also choose the level to roll the design down to so you can block out the harshest rays but still allow sunlight into your home.
With traditional blinds, you are basically looking at all or nothing. You are either getting most or all of the sun’s rays coming into your home or none at all.
Because roller blinds are made of fabric, they will also breathe as well so you can enjoy variable levels of breeze coming into your home. Traditional designs have more of an insulating effect and will block out all of the outside breezes and temperatures.
Why choose these designs over curtains?
Curtains have long been an Aussie staple, but roller blinds are rapidly becoming a preferred option because of the benefits and advantages they offer. Roller blinds just look more modern with their sleek lines and perfect fit in your window or door cavities and they are so versatile that they will work in any room, any style of home.
They are far more efficient when it comes to blocking out the sun so you can lower your energy costs and there have been many innovations like energy-efficient honeycomb fabric or cellular fabrics that will trap air and help regulate the temperature in your room.
And when it comes to cleaning, blinds are far more low maintenance than curtains which will need to be removed and often taken to the professionals for cleaning. They can simply be wiped down with a damp cloth and look brand new straight away.
What does “front roll” and “back roll” mean?
This term refers to how the fabric rolls out over the hollow tubing that the top of the blind. It can either run down the back of the tube or over the top and around the front. If you want to block out more light, a back roll is better as it will sit flush against the window and in the recess to cut out lighting. An over-the-top option is going to let a little bit of light in (which some people prefer) and can also allow more breeze in as well.
Ultimately, the choice is yours and there are numerous options available through Jim’s Flyscreens and Blinds to suit your needs.
