With the various shading options out there, it can be difficult to determine which best fits our needs, especially when it comes to interior and exterior blinds. As the names imply, interior mounted blinds are mounted inside your window casing while exterior mounted blinds are mounted on the outside of your window. Which option is best depends on your location, budget, and what you would like the blinds to achieve.
Interior Blinds
Interior blinds, often called roller shades or roller blinds, are installed on the inside of your window, can be operated manually or with a motor and often come in a variety of fabric colors and shades. Interior blinds are often installed to decrease the amount of sunlight getting into the house, cut glare or provide privacy. Interior blinds can reduce the ambient room temperature by about 3°C.
Most blinds are mounted inside the window frame, so this is a familiar look. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be an eye-catching one though. How much attention it attracts depends on your choice of blind, color, and so on. In fact, interior mountings are an excellent choice for rooms such as great rooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens where appearance is important.
Blinds mounted inside the window casing won’t interfere with the rest of your window treatment, and they allow you to show off a particularly unique or attractive window frame. If you have a deep casing and window sill, a blind with an interior mount can serve as an attractive backdrop for decorative items in a situation where the view is less than attractive or where the window is across from other windows.
Energy efficient interior blinds are often chosen for their cost-effectiveness as they cost less than exterior blinds or screens. They offer a modest energy benefit by providing some insulation and blocking sunlight. If you live in a climate where you do not experience a great deal of heat interior screens may be a great option for you.
Regardless of the type of blind you choose, though, an interior mounted blind will obscure part of your view at the top of the window when you raise it to open it. Interior mounted blinds also let in more light at the sides than exterior mounted blinds because some room must be left on the sides for the operating hardware at the top of the blind. In comparison with exterior mounted blinds they do not block as much of the heat since the heat has already traveled through the window and into your home or building.
The Exterior Mount
Exterior Shades, also called exterior screens, exterior roller shades or Habitat Screens, are a good choice when you are looking to improve the energy efficiency of your building. One of the main benefits of exterior shading products over interior ones is that they block the heat and UV rays before they hit the window. Exterior shades can reduce interior temperatures by about 10°C. Exterior shades are a great option for those who live in warm or hot climates and help to reduce cooling costs during these warm months.
Exterior screens are often mounted with a rail system that surrounds your window on the outside ensuring complete window coverage giving you maximum protection. Because exterior mounts allow less light to show around the edges, they are a better choice than an interior mount in rooms such as media rooms, nurseries, and bedrooms where reducing the amount of light is important. One concern might be the aesthetics of your home however exterior shades come in a variety of colors and can be customized to fit your building. If you are just building your house they can even be built in to disappear completely when rolled up.
Many exterior screens can be operated in a variety of ways. If you are looking for maximum energy efficiency ask about a sun sensor. These are solar sensors that connect with the motor system within the shade, lowering it when the sun is out and raising it when it is not. This allows your building to get the maximum sun protection even if you are not there!
One of the main disadvantages of exterior shades is that they are more-costly when compared to interior blinds. This can be a deterrent when choosing a shading system that fits within your budget. Because the systems are outside they need to be more durable and often require more specialized installation techniques which can increase costs. However, if you are looking for maximum solar blockage while preserving your view exterior blinds are a great option.
Screen or blind products are a great option if you would like to block the sun or light but still maintain the view out your windows, it just comes down to choosing the right one for your building. Overall when looking at window coverings for your project, the amount of information can be overwhelming. If you need more information we recommend checking out: https://www.efficientwindowcoverings.org/ this site lets you compare various window treatments to choose the best one for your project.
