climateXchange

Just had a telemarketing call from a roller shutter company,

I don't normally like the look of external aluminium roller shutters and the fact that their role in keeping out heat in summer and cold in winter comes at the cost of having dark rooms.

Does anyone out there have experience in using them, and whether they reduce energy bills?

A quick google indicated that people found they were effective in cutting down heat and cold. As an alternative to double glazing, I guess they also have the advantage of  providing security.

The ecospecifier website indicates that while being more durable, external aluminium and stainless steel shading devices have high embodied energy and their production generates high greenhouse gas emissions.

Thanks for all your perspectives on roller shutters.

This issue also came up at the very useful "Futuresafe your House" event tonight organised by SEE-Change Inner South group.

As in this forum, there were mixed views there too about the merits of roller shutters. One person said installing a roller shutter had made a huge difference in reducing heat from her west-facing window.

Another said that if the aluminium in the roller shutter connects with an aluminium window frame, it can actually conduct heat into the house through that connection. Also, if there is an air gap at the top of the roller shutters between the shutter casing and the wall, apparently that can also reduce their effectiveness.

And of course there were people who didn't like the look of roller shutters.