Table of Contents
- 1. Slash your cooling costs
- 2. Wake up comfortable every morning
- 3. Protect your furniture and flooring
- 4. Create the perfect outdoor entertaining space
- 5. Eliminate hot spots throughout your home
- 6. Enjoy hands-free convenience
- 7. Sleep better on long summer days
- 8. Maintain privacy without sacrificing light
- 9. Respond instantly to changing weather
- 10. Add value to your home
- Make your house a smart home with Halo External Shading
From soaring energy bills to sun-damaged furniture, the warmer months test our homes in ways we don’t always anticipate. The good news is that smart home technology has evolved to tackle those seasonal struggles head-on.
Whether you’re dealing with scorching afternoon sun streaming through your windows or trying to create the perfect outdoor entertaining space, automated shading solutions can transform how you experience summer at home. Here are ten ways smart home technology makes your summer living not just bearable, but brilliant.
1. Slash your cooling costs
Let’s start with something every homeowner cares about: your energy bills. Those long summer days mean intense sunshine pouring through your windows, heating your home throughout the day and making it unbearably hot. Your air conditioning or fans work overtime trying to keep up, and your electricity bill shows it.
Motorised blinds and awnings tackle this problem at the source. By automatically adjusting throughout the day to block excess heat, they reduce your need to run fans or air conditioning constantly. You won’t have to close your curtains completely and lose that lovely natural light. Smart blinds can filter the sun while still letting you enjoy the bright summer weather from indoors.
2. Wake up comfortable every morning
Nobody wants to wake up feeling sweaty and stressed. Motorised blinds can be programmed to anticipate the morning sun, automatically adjusting before you even get out of bed. Set them to close gradually as the sun moves around your home, keeping bedrooms cool and comfortable for better sleep.
You can even integrate motorised blinds with your morning routine. Have them open slightly to let in gentle light before your alarm goes off, rather than the harsh glare that would normally flood east-facing rooms. It’s a game changer if your bedroom catches the early morning sun.
3. Protect your furniture and flooring
That beautiful sofa you bought last year? The hardwood floors you invested in? UV rays are silently working to fade and damage them every sunny day. Made to measure motorised blinds protect your furniture, carpets, and soft furnishings from fading and sun bleaching.
As part of your smart home system, blinds can automatically adjust based on the sun’s position and intensity. They’ll provide maximum protection when UV levels are highest, while still allowing natural light when the sun’s rays are gentler. Your furniture will thank you, and so will your wallet when you don’t need to replace sun-damaged items.
4. Create the perfect outdoor entertaining space
Summer is one of the best seasons for entertaining, but unpredictable weather can throw a spanner in the works. Motorised awnings give you the flexibility to adapt your outdoor space instantly. Guests arriving for a garden party? Extend your awning with the touch of a button. Sudden change in weather? You won’t have to call off your barbecue or move the birthday party indoors.
Modern motorised awnings can even be integrated with weather sensors, automatically retracting during strong winds and extending when conditions are perfect. You’ll never have to worry about forgetting to adjust them – they’ll do it themselves.
5. Eliminate hot spots throughout your home
We all have those rooms that become unbearably hot in summer (usually the ones with large south-facing windows or conservatories). Smart blinds can be programmed to react differently in each room based on sun exposure and usage patterns.
Your living room blinds might close during the intense afternoon sun, but open again in the evening for sunset views. Your bedroom blinds close during your afternoon siesta with just the push of a button. This targeted approach eliminates those dreaded hot spots that make certain areas of your home unusable during summer.
6. Enjoy hands-free convenience
There’s something magical about controlling your entire smart home with just your voice or a tap on your phone. With just a few words, all your blinds and awnings can adjust to their optimal positions and your outdoor lighting can switch on to prepare for evening entertaining.
Whether you’re out and about with friends or stuck in traffic on the way home, you can ensure your house is perfectly comfortable before you even walk through the door. No more rushing around adjusting blinds when guests are arriving. Everything happens automatically.
7. Sleep better on long summer days
Those extra-long summer days are wonderful, but they can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule. Motorised blinds can gradually darken your bedroom as bedtime approaches, helping your body’s natural circadian rhythms to adjust. They can also block out early morning light if you’re not ready to wake up with the sunrise.
For shift workers or anyone who needs to sleep during daylight hours, motorised blackout blinds are a godsend. Program them to create the perfect sleeping environment regardless of what time you need to rest.
8. Maintain privacy without sacrificing light
Summer means spending more time in your garden, but all your neighbours are likely to be doing the same. Motorised blinds and awnings let you maintain your privacy while still enjoying natural light and views. You can program them to provide privacy screening during your morning coffee on the patio, while still allowing gentle light to filter through.
Add drop-down sides to motorised awnings for even more privacy control. Perfect for those intimate outdoor dinners with your partner, or when you want to create a cosy reading nook in your garden.
9. Respond instantly to changing weather
British summer weather is famously unpredictable, but smart home technology means you won’t have to constantly monitor the skies. Advanced motorised awnings can be fitted with rain and wind sensors that automatically retract when conditions become unsuitable.
Some smart home systems can even connect to local weather forecasts, preparing your home for incoming storms or particularly hot days. Your blinds might close automatically when a heatwave is forecast, pre-cooling your home before temperatures peak.
10. Add value to your home
Motorised blinds and awnings provide more usable space, both indoors and outdoors. Potential buyers recognise the benefit of homes with integrated smart home technology.
You can transform previously unusable spaces into comfortable areas for relaxation or entertaining. That conservatory that becomes a greenhouse in summer? Roof blinds or a conservatory awning can make it usable year-round. The patio that’s too hot for afternoon use? A motorised awning extends its usability throughout the day.
Make your house a smart home with Halo External Shading
Smart home technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. Many elements in your home can now be fully automated for those leading extremely busy lifestyles, or those who just appreciate modern conveniences.
Installation is simpler than you might think, and the technology integrates seamlessly with most existing smart home systems. Whether you’re starting with a single room or planning a whole-house upgrade, there are solutions to fit every budget and lifestyle.
Book a home consultation today to discover how smart shading solutions can transform your property. A free assessment from us will help you identify the best opportunities for improvement and show you exactly how you can boost your comfort and home value.
