Etherealise
Member
I am trying to sort out a glare problem with north facing windows and was thinking of internal blinds like these http://www.vertilux.com.au/materials.jsp?materialID=46 that have a metallised backing.
The only thing is we have low e double glazed windows, and I'm wondering whether this will reduce the potential of the blinds to reflect energy?
Bushwalker
Member
Are you trying to solve a glare problem or a heat ingress problem?
If it's heat, the best solution is to stop it before it hits the glass: Deciduous trees, shade sails, pergolas with vines, external louvres, etc.
Etherealise
Member
It's predominantly a glare problem. We do have an overheating problem as well as there are no eaves and no shading from trees (there are views day & night.) It is complicated by the fact that there is roof glass too, and we cannot shade too much of anything (roof or windows) with full block as the open plan area of the house relies on the light from this area. See here for more details:http://www.ata.org.au/forums/topic/3841#post-29381
The roof glass is low e with solar control properties while the vertical glazing is also low e but without solar control, to retain benefit in winter, when the sun is lower. So we are thinking about a folding arm awning over the roof to shade that in summer (could also act as a kind of eve for the vertical glass if it overhangs enough) and internal mesh blinds for glare control in winter, only to be used when we're actually wanting to sit in the room with roof glass. At other times in winter I would want full sun to get the benefit on the slate floor and internal brick, which works reasonably well to heat the house.
Bushwalker
Member
Ok, I remember reading about your house on the other thread.
Personally, my choice would be for external adjustable sunshade blinds like the Issey Vertiroll http://www.issey.com.au/products-page/external-vertical-blinds/vertiroll/
If the problem is glare, then there is no need for a reflective blind, you just need a mesh that filters the light somewhat. In summer, you really need to stop the sun reaching the glass, so you might be able to solve both problems with the one installation.
Why didn't you incorporate eaves and shading design in the rebuild?
BW
Etherealise
Member
Thanks those blinds look good. As for why we didn't incorporate eaves and shading design in the rebuild - two reasons: lack of funds (it ended up way more expensive than we imagined) and I ended up in a situation where I wanted the company building just to get the job done - I would prefer to get someone else to deal with shading and eaves as communication, attention to detail and timeliness was lacking.
yabbietol
Member
I have fitted on my windows in my energy efficient house reflective internal roller blinds. They are very effective in both winter and summer and work well with my southern double glazed windows and my northern single glazed non coated north facing windows. They certainly improve our thermal comfort in both summer and winter, all we have to do is open and close them when common sense indicates they will shield glare and heat from outside or keep heat from our wood fire inside.
The ones I used I bought from "blinds online" which are also fire resistant as I live in a bushfire prone area.
http://www.blindsonline.com.au/roller-blinds/classic-enviroshade
You need to make your own measurements and they then make them to order and you just fit them yourself.
I have no connection with this company I have just used their products for a couple of years and find they work well and are reasonably priced. When we first moved into our house we could not afford curtains or blinds and had a couple of hot summers and cold winter before we fitted roller blinds. They have improved our comfort quite a bit.
Etherealise
Member
Thanks, I'll check those blinds out. I'm getting quotes for shading for the roof glass (on the outside) so we may end up with less of a glare issue on the vertical glass as a result.
alfredjames
Member
I would like you to try this site http://coastwideshadesails.com.au/shade-sails-products/awnings-blinds/, there are several blinds that might be helpful for you. There are also privacy screens they have for windows and doors.
Greg C
Member
You still need to stop the sun hitting the glass, either with a pergola or shade sails. If you have glass in the roof I would question why. Depending on where you are in Australia it is going to cause a lot of unwanted heat entering the house, especially if it is on the north side.
Etherealise
Member
"You still need to stop the sun hitting the glass, either with a pergola or shade sails"- Yes I see that now. When I started this topic I hadn't realised you could get translucent external blinds - as pointed out above solves two problems (glare and heat) in one, without making things too dark.
Now we have a roof blind over the roof glass now that shades not only the roof but acts as a kind of eve for the vertical glass in summer, as it extends pass the edge of the roof. There's still the problem of overheating from sun coming through the vertical glass outside of the summer months on hot days though, as the sun is lower, so that's why I'll be looking into external blinds as well. For the time being it's shade cloth...
As to the question of why have roof glass - well much as I wouldn't recommend it on expense alone, the house was designed that way as a passive solar house - we just replaced the glass that was already there with double glazed. The house has some excellent features such as lots of thermal mass to soak up wanted solar heat when it's cold but now I realise there are some serious flaws that result in overheating, not least the cathedral ceiling. The original owner builder was German and it's almost like he's designed it more in mind for a European climate. So basically it's excellent in winter (almost no heating required) but overall a bit too much solar gain for probably 6 months of the year and can be a little on the uncomfortable side in summer especially upstairs. That's been improved though with some of the shading. We more or less had to retain the roof glass idea because the open plan living area relies on the natural light from this area. Ideally it should have been designed so that the conservatory area could be closed off in summer rather than having to battle it as we are. Of course we could have redesigned the whole front of the house but that may have been more major work than rebuilding what was there.
