Canadian Homes in 2030: No more curtains
Will families in the future throw out their curtains and blinds?
We believe that in the future, Canadian homes will replace interior curtains and blinds with exterior window treatments.
To understand why, let’s first examine the origin of interior curtains and blinds.
The Egyptians invented the first curtains made from animal hides to cover doorways. Later, the Egyptians spun textiles from flax and linen, followed by wool, silk, and cotton. At that time, glass windows didn’t exist.
Likewise, early window shutters, before glass windows, were designed to seal off a window.
The purpose of window coverings was to keep warm air inside and keep light and cold air out. Shutters also provided some security by making it more difficult for uninvited guests to enter your home.
Then single pane glass windows arrived. Early windows provided some insulation and security benefits, but they weren’t very effective in the winter or at maintaining privacy. People kept curtains and shutters to make up for those flaws.
From the industrial revolution onward, curtains and blinds became just as much of a decorative element as a functional one. The window blinds and curtains have remained largely unchanged since their inception. But how good are they at their function?
Are curtains and blinds the best solution?
Curtains, blinds, and shutters are used to:
Regulate Light
Nightime – Block or obscure light in bedrooms, guestrooms and the living room if you have a sofa-bed
Daytime – Become unobtrusive and allow as much daylight into your home as possible
Regulate Temperature
Hot days – Regulates the level of light so that we get as much daylight as possible without our home getting uncomfortably hot
Cold days – Create a barrier between the cold window and the warm air inside so we keep our home warm. This is less important today because most Canadian homes have double or triple glazed windows.
Provide Privacy – Prevent strangers from seeing into your personal living space.
Security – External shutters and blinds provide security when closed by preventing intruders from entering a home.
Protection from the Extreme Weather – External shutters and blinds also protect windows from small branches and hail during inclement weather.
While the textiles, materials, and decorative designs for curtains and blinds have changed over time, the functionally is based on technology from before the industrial revolution. As well, they are difficult or expensive to clean.
Here are the key disadvantages of interior window treatments:
Not 100% soundproof.
Accumulate dust and difficult to clean.
Can’t block out 100% of light when they’re closed.
They occupy window space when they’re open and blinds interfere with your view.
Curtains are heavy and thick, while sheers need to be combined with curtains to block light.
Cannot be controlled automatically or attached to a timer
Shutters have changed dramatically in recent years. Whereas shutters were originally doors for window openings, now there are smart shutters with advanced sound absorption, heat reflection, and light regulating qualities.
Yet as technology continues to advance within homes, window blinds and curtains might be replaced by emerging innovations in exterior shutters. As well, since they’re heavy-duty and part of the exterior of your home, you can hose them off once or twice a year – cleaning is easy.
What are the different types of external window systems?
External Venetian Blinds
External venetian blinds are excellent for controlling the intensity of daylight, and automated sun protection systems can reduce energy normally used for air conditioning by 10%. If you don’t have air conditioning, then they will make your life more bearable in July and August. When closed, they also provide security and protection from inclement weather.
Facade Awnings
Facade awnings have become very common in modern architecture because textiles are easier to integrate into building designs. They provide excellent glare protection and privacy.
Rolling Shutters
Rolling shutters first appeared in 1882, and they are a type of door or window shutter consisting of many horizontal slats hinged together. They are sometimes called a roller shutter, coiling shutter, or sectional overhead shutter. These shutters provide protection against wind, rain, fire and theft.
Electrochromic Glass (eGlass)
eGlass allows you to tint your windows on command. It provides many of the lighting benefits of exterior window treatments built into the window itself.
Electrochromatic glass has the benefit of not requiring a separate mechanical window treatment that may require maintenance or need cleaning.
Advanced Features of Exterior Window Treatments
Sound Absorbing
As more and more people begin to live in apartments and houses near busy streets, there is a growing need to guard against unwanted noise while maintaining a cool and private home. Acoustic roller shutters have been developed for use in sound-sensitive environments – where the objective is to either keep sound in or keep it out.
This could be an amazing solution for light sleepers.
Blackout Variations
If you need to block out sunlight, such as in the bedroom, you will be delighted to know that there are blackout blinds available. Blackout blinds connected to a smart controller can rise to allow natural light in the morning to help with your gentle wake-up routine.
Heat Reflective
Some blinds made from thermal insulators offer excellent thermal insulation. Made from lightweight PVC or aluminum, they are rot-proof, long-lasting, and rarely need maintenance.
Solar Power Blinds
Imagine blinds that collect electricity while you’re away at work so that you can use it when you get home. SolarGaps is working on smart solar blinds with features like sun-tracking that reposition the blinds throughout the day. Your blinds will pay for themselves.
Smart Controls
Smart blinds have combined many of the traditional features and latest advancements in window blind innovation to take a significant leap towards the future.
As homes become fully connected, you can improve your home and routines with the assistance of smart blinds. These blinds are fully automated and allow you to control each blind independently or collectively from an app on your mobile phone or voice-activated home automation device.
This allows you to set daily and weekly schedules for raising or lowering the blinds and better manage light control and insulation even if you aren’t at home.
Electrochromic Glass
Incorporating most of the above features into eGlass is possible but expensive. If you only care about lighting control, then eGlass could be the most elegant solution for you.
Why now?
Many of these exterior window treatments have existed for over a century, yet they’ve been much more common in Europe than Canada. With one in three Canadians not getting enough sleep, it shows how important it is important to find ways to maintain a dark, cool, and quiet bedroom environment to help with sleep. Soundproofing and blackout features should be convincing enough for these sleep-deprived Canadians. As well, the temperature regulating benefit of thermal blinds will help to create your personal private oasis.
With all of these benefits, exterior window systems seem like a ‘no-brainer.’ If people continue to have interior treatments, they’re likely to be purely decorative.
From our perspective, electrochromic windows are still too expensive to be common in 2030. Perhaps costs will drop sufficiently for them to replace exterior window treatments by 2050.
