Conservatory roof blinds are an absolute necessity. A conservatory offers an excellent recreation space, but when the sun is hot, you may discover it’s impossible to live inside because of the heat that goes through the glass roof directly on your head. This is why conservatory roof blinds are so sought after, and that’s also why window treatments manufacturers have a very diversified offer when it comes to covering conservatory roofs.

In order to be efficient, conservatory roof blinds need to have a thermal insulation superior to common blinds and shades. That’s because the roof is more exposed to direct sun rays, and for all over the day, not only a few hours like in case of regular windows. This thermal protection can be easily achieved by lining the blinds fabric with a solar reflective aluminum backing. There are other helpful accessories that one can install on the roof windows, such as solar inserts, special window films that are transparent but stop the UV radiation from penetrating the window surface. Solar inserts are a relatively new invention and they work great in conjunction with polycarbonate conservatory roofs.

Most Used Types Of Conservatory Roof Blinds

Because conservatory roofs are usually high, cordless automated blinds are preferred for covering these windows. There are many types of blinds that can be adapted for conservatory roofs, from pleated blinds to roller shades or to pinoleum blinds, most of them being fit for any type of conservatory shape, be it Lean To, Victorian, Edwardian or Bespoke.

If you need conservatory roof blinds, you’ll see that there’s a wide offer available, many of the biggest manufacturers offering stunning models made of highly energy-efficient fabrics and motorized with the latest generation tubular motors, which are extremely silent and smooth in operation. Hillarys is one of the companies that have multiple choices to offer, and featuring a great experience in window treatments, they can advise you how to make your conservatory a great space to live in all year round. The photo on the left illustrates a conservatory with Citrus Pleated blinds from Hillary’s. This is only one example of the many solutions you can choose from when it comes to protecting your conservatory from harmful UV rays.

One last tip: retractable awnings may be as efficient as conservatory roof blinds.

Skylight blinds are an absolute necessity, at least for domestic use. Nothing can equal the beauty of skylight windows, but they have a major drawback if not covered: they could turn your room into a green house, because of the direct sun light that lasts for so many hours a day. In normal windows, thanks to their orientation, there’s full sun only for several hours a day, then as the sun moves in the sky, shadows take its place. With skylights, things are different, as these windows are exposed as long as the sun shines in the sky. Besides, if you are surrounded by taller buildings, you may need some privacy, at least at night.

Even in case of commercial buildings such as museums or art galleries, skylight blinds are also a must have, because there has to be a way to control the light filtering if you want visitors to be able to enjoy the masterpieces exposed in the halls.

Skylight Blinds Control Systems

Depending on the movement control mechanism, there are several types of skylight blinds:
Motorized skylight blinds: these are maybe the most convenient, as you don’t have to use anything else but a button on the remote control to change their position. In buildings with tall ceilings, this could be the only possible solution, because the manual systems may be too big and difficult to operate. Powell Blinds offer several interesting solutions of motorized skylight blinds. If you have skylights and you’re interested in some window covering ideas, you can check out the Velux website. Velux is a well-known skylights manufacturer and they offer a catalog with a wide range of mount types and accessories such as blinds, shades or accessory controls.

Manually operated skylight blinds: if the rooms are not that tall, skylights blinds can be operated with the help of a crank and a simple wand. Usually, the wand is removable, so you can hide it somewhere when you don’t need to use it.

Best Materials For Skylight Blinds

First of all, when thinking of skylight windows, you have to be aware that if they don’t provide an excellent thermal insulation, your energy bills will be much higher, in both winter and summer. This is why most manufacturers of skylights and roof windows suggest the usage of either low-E or low-E laminate glass, double glazed, and if possible filled with an inert gas.

Such windows come from start with a good R-value, but you can improve it even more by choosing special fabrics for your skylight blinds. The fabric or the material for skylights coverings should have good insulating properties, as well as good resistance at fading, yellowing, bending or cracking under the direct exposure to sun light. Cellular blinds and shades are excellent in this respect, so they are one of the most frequent choices. A few examples from the most popular manufacturers are: Bali Skylight Cellular Shades, available as inside or outside mount, Comfortex Skylight, available only as inside mount, Graber Skylight, which are manual and come with extra charge, optional extension poles to open and close the shade, or Hunter Douglas Skylight which come either manual or motorized for full comfort and convenience.

Hopefully, this brief overview will help you in choosing your blinds for skylights.