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– it is an issue so serious that a new part of the Building Regulations was created to address it called Part O, published in 2022.
However, Part O does not apply to existing buildings, and this is one of the reasons why the installation of domestic air conditioning systems is increasing. Whilst this is an understandable response to mitigating overheating, given the amount of energy these systems consume to keep internal spaces cool, it is seriously counterproductive to the UK’ s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and become net zero carbon( NZC) by 2050.
Regular use of an air conditioning system can lead to higher electricity bills, nullifying or even outweighing any energy efficiency gains that products such as thicker loft insulation and low U-value windows and doors may have already provided. As the UK’ s electricity prices are among the highest in Europe, even moderate use of air conditioners can prove costly, with one installer suggesting that a portable air conditioner running daily for eight hours could add over £ 166 to an electricity bill over three-months.
A more energy efficient alternative is to concentrate on upgrading the solar control of windows and doors, particularly those which are prone to regular strong sunlight. And this is something that can be achieved with Uni-Blinds ® integral blind units for two reasons – glass choice and the quality of the integral blind itself.
Taking advantage of solar control glass
All low emissivity( low e) glass will reflect sunlight to a degree to limit solar gain, but it is not designed to prevent heat transmission. This is because solar gain is welcome to a point, taking carbon emissions free heat from the sun to partially warm a home, reducing the amount of heat needed from central heating systems, many of which are gas powered.
Hence why there is a type of glass designed to offer greater reflectivity to the sun’ s heat – solar control glass. This is by no means a new product, but until relatively recently it was largely regarded as a type of glass only required for
commercial buildings, especially ones with large windows and doors where there was the potential for the greenhouse effect to develop. Today, however, its appeal for the domestic sector is growing rapidly.
You can specify solar control glass in the form of Saint-Gobain’ s COOL LITE SKN 176 for Uni-Blinds ® instead of Planitherm One or our standard low-e glass. It is actually a product that we would recommend for larger windows and doors on unsheltered south / southwest facing elevations.
The key thing to remember about glass like COOL LITE SKN 176 is that it is multi-functional, offering the best of all worlds. On the one hand, it can reduce how much heat enters a home in strong sunshine, but on the other it is still highly effective at keeping heat inside the home in winter. And all this is achieved without impacting significantly on the clarity and colour of the glass, making it an almost invisible overheating prevention solution.
The power of blinds to block summer heat
In addition to the glass performance, the type of blind encapsulated within the IGU will also make a huge difference to how effective the integral blind unit is as a whole for blocking strong sunlight and
heat. Not all integral blinds are created equal, and that can really come to the fore where controlling overheating and glare are concerned.
We use only ScreenLine ® integral blinds to manufacture our Uni-Blinds ® because we know they have been rigorously tested to offer excellent shading performance. The two main types we offer are Venetian and pleated, including a pleated blackout version, although we have now also introduced a third option in the form of a new thin polyester film integral blind called ScreenLine ® Wave.
Our Venetian integral blinds are effective at blocking light and heat because of their aluminium slats which are simply lowered and tilted to create a physical barrier. The pleated blackout works in the same way, but it can be even more effective as it leaves no scope for light to leak around the edges or along the cords. If you choose a pleated vanity blind, it will still make a significant difference without blocking light to the same degree.
It all adds up to integral blinds being a winning solution for energy efficient, lower carbon homes. When you combine the shading effects of a ScreenLine ® blind with a low-e glass, or even better – COOL-LITE SKN 176 solar control glass, the resulting integral blind unit will tick all the boxes for our changing climate. That means working to keep the home better insulated in winter and cooler in summer.
www. morleyglass. co. uk
CLEARVIEW-UK. COM NOVEMBER 2025
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