We all want to improve our quality of living. We all want to live in comfort, trying to spend less on living while enjoying it more! With the ever increasing growth of technology that is filling our daily lives, we are faced with more and more options. Where do we start? We are here to show you the best way you can invest in your home to achieve all of these things.

Research is where many people start to experience research and decision burn-out. Using an internet connection, we can now research and find infinite options within options to a point that we are unable to make ANY choice. The last thing we want is to make a snap final decision on a major home improvement, only to discover later that there were better options out there.

The decision of making improvements to your home is always a considered decision. We all need to reduce the stress when faced with the possibility of this decision effecting the overall look or ‘curb appeal’ of your home.

Below is our list of 6 things that will improve by adding the right awning.

The goal of making any change to your home is to improve it in as many of these ways as possible.

During summer in Australia, every square metre of glass you have exposed to direct sunlight without any shade is like having a 1000w heater inside your room switched on and doing its best to heat up your home. Further to this by adding an external pivot arm awning, you can reduce sun related indoor heat build up by as much as 90%* and keep your room cooler and therefore, saving you money on your energy spend. In addition, 25-35% of the heat that enters your home, comes in via the windows. It seems to be common sense but with the addition of an external awning, you can reduce this percentage by up to 90% then you will quickly notice the energy savings from making this simple and affordable change. In many cases a well positioned and specified awning can pay for itself in one season – not just in energy savings but in the immediate increase of usable outdoor space. In todays property market, make every square metre count!

It’s often the simplest things that are overlooked. To keep heat out of your home, you need to stop direct sunlight from hitting your home – it’s that simple. Selecting the best external awnings and shades for your home is where most people are in need of professional assistance. For example, the further you can provide shade or shelter from your windows, the more air there is to circulate and between the fabric and the glass will increase the awnings’ effectiveness. Now, globally, there are 8ˇ main categories of external shades and there are hundreds of brands with many variants of each, within each brand. In addition to this, there are tens of thousands of fabric manufacturers and a never ending addition of ranges and colours… therefore there are literally an infinite number of choices to be made when choosing the best awning that suits you and your budget, scope, goals and overall situation. In other words, you need to know which awning type, brand and options are the most suited to you and your exact situation. This is where the ‘Covered Group’  leverage decades of experience across all of these variables to give you ‘information cut-through’ to help with your decisions. We have a team of industry experts with a broad but select range of products that have withstood harsh Australian conditions climate for decades and will continue to do so for many seasons to come. The covered group have worked hard on making the choice of heat protection, simpler.

Ever tried watching TV on a lazy Sunday afternoon only to find you couldn’t see the screen due to glare – even with your blinds closed? With a correctly selected fabric and the right type of awning, it is possible to be in control of this – even at the push of a button (or use of a WiFi controlling app like the Somfy Connexoon system) without even needing to get up. Be the master of the light in your home by adding voice commands using Amazon Alexa or Google Home products^. After doing this a few times you will forget of the time when you had to manually operate your awning to control the light. A well lit home is a pleasant one!

Heat protection and temperature control are not quite the same thing. Where heat protection is a barrier between you and the sun, temperature control is the ability to ’turn on’ the sun when you do want it. With an external Folding Arm Awning, conservatory awning, retractable roof or an external straight drop blind you can control the heat during the warmer months. We don’t always like to hide from the sun and for 6 months of the year we have a wonderful level of sun available to us and this is when you will notice the drawbacks from installing a fixed pergola or shelter. However when a fixed shelter is optioned, we would be robbing ourselves of valuable light inside our home without the possibility to control the temperature. In addition to having an external retractable awning, you can choose to motorise or even ‘automate’ your awning to increase the benefits to your investment. Why not add a motor and WiFi controller/timer that can be told to send your awnings up during the day in winter? Doing this will flood your space with sunlight at just the right time and fight the winter blues while heating you up. Lastly you can easily make a program to send them back down at night, to protect your home from direct contact to the cold frosty nights and save more on your heating bills in the process. (Just make sure you have wind sensors and if applicable, rain sensors – to ensure that they don’t operate during the wrong weather conditions.)

Much of what we keep indoors is not designed to be bombarded by UV rays and because of this, it will discolour, deteriorate and age – prematurely. Carpets, ornaments, photographs, paintings, rugs, timber flooring, furniture, painted and even stone surfaces can show signs of ageing in as little as a few months! Keep UV rays at bay with an external shade to reduce or completely block UV from entering your home.Simply put, when you add an external shade device, you are creating a barrier between the sun and any surfaces that would normally be hit by the sun and over time, damaged by harmful UV rays.

It may come as an added benefit, the prime focus or a mix of both but a well selected shade system from the ‘covered group’ range will offer an increase in “curb appeal” or  “yard appeal”. Unique to Australian & New Zealand residents is that globally, we have the highest focus on outdoor home additions [or renovations] as they make up 59% of all home renovations undertaken, therefore we have made it our business to make any external shade addition to your home a well designed and attractive one not just a long lasting one.

In conclusion, to experience these fantastic results, speak to the team at Covered to book an onsite shade consultation and see how we can help make your selection a simple and effective experience.