Years ago, it was normal to see window awnings on nearly every house, but then as the years went by people started trading in those window awnings for air conditioners. These days it’s a rarity to see awnings on homes.
The reason why awnings used to be a common window treatment on homes is because they were efficient at keeping the sun from beating down on the windows and letting in a lot of heat. Back in those days, no one had air conditioners, so they used any means possible to keep their homes cool in the spring and summer months. Now, with the costs of running air conditioners increasing every year, some people are looking for ways to cut costs, and window awnings are near the top of their lists.
There have been recent studies done that show awnings are efficient at reducing energy costs because they work to reduce the internal temperature in homes. This means smaller AC units can be used to cool homes and the wear and tear on the AC units is decreased as well because they don’t have to run so much or so hard to cool homes.
Another study was done that shows that homeowners who use awnings can save as much as $200 a year on their cooling costs. Think about that for a minute. In most areas, people have to run their air conditioners three to four months out of the year, so that’s a minimum of a $50 savings every month. That’s pretty good when you consider what else $50 can buy every month. This also means that if more homes within a single community begin using awnings to help reduce their personal energy costs, that will also reduce the amount of peak energy usage, which will result in a cost decrease for utility companies and, in turn, the general public as well.
Awnings aren’t just useful for cooling the inside of homes, either. Many people are using outdoor awnings over their patios and decks where the sun beats down hard all day and makes it impossible to sit and relax outdoors during the hottest parts of the day. There have been reports of a decrease in outdoor temperatures by as much as 20 degrees when awnings are used to shade decks and patios. That’s quite a significant drop in temperature. People are finally able to entertain and relax outdoors during the day.
If you’re considering purchasing awnings for your home, you can find a great selection of awnings online. With all the awnings there are to choose from, you won’t have any difficulty finding a style to suit both you and your home. While the initial cost of purchasing and installing the awnings may seem like a lot, think about how much money you will save in the long term. Once you figure up that number, you won’t think twice about going ahead and purchasing those awnings for your home.
Related Article: Are Retractable Awnings the Right Choice for Your Home?
