Although most Brits get very excited by the idea of warmer weather, we are not good at dealing with the change in temperature when it does arrive. That is why it is sensible to keep the house as cool as possible during the summer, so you have somewhere to escape from the heat when you need to.
Wooden plantation shutters are excellent at helping keep the house cool, which is handy when many homes in the UK are designed to trap heat in, instead of the other way round.
Here are just a few ways how shutters can cool down your house in the summer months.
Wood as a natural insulator
Wood is a natural insulator, which means it can keep your home warm during the winter. At the same time, it can reduce the amount of heat in the house when it is scorching hot outside.
It can do this as heat from the outside becomes trapped in the wood, being released very slowly to the room. The heat, therefore, remains between the window and the shutter, instead of eeking out to the rest of the space.
This is unlike other materials, such as fabric, which do not provide a barrier to the high temperature outside.
Keep shutters closed during hottest part of the day
Although it is tempting to open all the windows and shutters when the sun is at its hottest, the opposite is, in fact, true.
You should keep them closed between 1000 and 1600 to avoid sunlight and heat transferring to the house and, instead, open them early in the morning and in the evening when the temperature is much lower.
The NHS website also advises to keep windows themselves closed during the middle of the day, potentially opening them at night when it is far cooler, depending on where the shutters are located in the house.
For instance, if they are on the east or southeast, it is sensible to keep them closed to protect the house from overheating when the sun rises in the morning. However, you could open them if they are facing the west and northwest, as the glare from the sun in the morning will appear on the other side of the house first.
This allows fresh air to circulate the building, which will help regulate the temperature throughout the day.
Overheating can be very dangerous, particularly for older people, and can lead to dizziness, nausea, vomiting, cramps, weakness, and cramps. Therefore, it is essential to take precautions to avoid letting the house get too hot and keep everyone inside of it as safe as possible.
Control light with the louvres
You might not want to sit in darkness all day long, which is why having wooden plantation shutters is a good choice as you can open some of the louvres to let the light in when you want to.
This brightens the room without having to open the entire shutter and allow lots of sunlight to heat up the area.
Therefore, you can control the temperature of the room at the same time as managing the amount of light in the room.
Split Louvres or Tier-on-tier shutters
Another option is to go for split louvre system, which allow you to have some open and some closed. You could only have the louvres on the top half of the window open, for instance, allowing sunlight to brighten up the room while controlling the amount of heat transfer by keeping the bottom louvres closed.
Alternatively, you could have separate shutters for both the bottom and top of the window, ie tier-on-tier shutters, which gives you total flexibility when it comes to making sure the sunlight and heat is kept outside, depending on where the sun’s rays are coming through the window.
With curtains or blinds, you would not be able to have this flexibility, as you would simply have to open the coverings entirely or keep them closed.
Open the windows and close shutters on breezy days
When it comes to breezy days, you also have the option of opening the windows and closing the shutters. This allows the fresh air to circulate around the house from the breeze outside.
At the same time, keeping the wooden shutters closed provides protection from the intense sunlight during the day. By opening the slats slightly, the breeze can flow into the room while still providing shade.
Want to find out more? Get in touch with the Just Shutters team today on 0345 894 0700.
