How to choose your adjustable sunscreen (bso)?
Imagine being able to modulate the sunlight in your home at will, while maintaining a pleasant view of the outside. External venetian blinds, or BSOs, allow just that. These exterior blinds, often fitted with aluminum slats, offer you the possibility of adjusting the amount of sunlight in your rooms and the heat according to your preferences, the seasons and the time of day.
What are the differences between a roller shutter and an adjustable sunshade?
- The roller shutter has an apron, the BSO of the slats
- Which best protects your home against break-ins and theft?
- Who makes the most complete darkness in a room?
- A roller shutter is often motorized, but the BSO is manual?
- A shutter resists the wind while the BSO is sideways... True or false?
- Design and atmosphere
Focus on adjustable sunshades (BSO):
- The advantages of adjustable sunshades
- What is the price of an adjustable sunscreen per m²?
- What are the differences between BSOs?
- BSO electric (motorized) or manual?
- The width and shape of the blades
- How to install your Brise-Soleil with adjustable blades (BSO)?
What is an adjustable sunshade?
This type of awning is often called BSO for " Brise Soleil Orientable ". We also find the name "Venetian store" see "Lyonnaise jealousy".
All these denominations clearly define an exterior blind with regular aluminum slats that open, close and move.
This allows you to adapt the amount of sunshine in your room and the heat supply according to your desires, the seasons and the time of day. With the help of home automation, the management of your BSOs can be automated to optimize your comfort and your energy savings.
They reduce the overheating of your rooms. The aluminum slats cut the penetration of the sun into the rooms by around 75%. BSOs contribute to the insulation of your home, by limiting the penetration of the sun's rays and by helping to maintain a pleasant interior temperature.
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Thanks to them, you need to use air conditioning less, if at all. It is therefore a natural, ecological and economical protection for your housing project RT2012 (thermal regulations 2012) or passive house. Conversely, in winter, the BSOs can be fully opened to allow the sun to naturally heat your interior.
What are the points of comparison between the BSOs?
As we have mentioned, there are different types of BSO depending on the materials, the technologies used, the integration of a box or not...
1. Aluminum or wooden blades
We are only talking in this article about BSO with aluminum blades .
According to feedback from professionals and craftsmen, models with wood are more expensive than aluminum.
As they are heavier, this implies slightly more powerful motors, but above all an external blind with wooden slats will require maintenance in the medium to long term.
This photo was taken by Lacentrale-eco in Lyon in the 9ᵉ arrondissement. It shows an old BSO from Lyon called “Jalousie lyonnaise”. You can also see the molded cast iron valance. This type of blind is an architectural specificity of the Lyon region.
Indeed, these Lyonnais jealousies are very present in the historic districts of the city. They were made of wood historically, but they are now often replaced by aluminum. They are sometimes requested by the architects of the Buildings of France in order to respect harmoniously the most beautiful avenues of Lyon
2. Motorized BSO or manual BSO?
A motorized adjustable sunshade provides greater comfort than the manual version, especially if you take a radio motor .
It is connected to a remote control or a switch that allows you to easily orient the blades and manage your brightness quickly.
Wall-mounted switches are less expensive than (wireless) remote controls, and corded motors are less expensive than radios.
The advantages of a radio engine are numerous:
- Easy to install since you can hang your remote control wherever you want (no switch to install).
- Ease of use, because you can also make groups of several BSOs
- Ease of risk management related to high winds thanks to the radio anemometer
- Easy management of brightness and overheating thanks to the independent radio brightness sensor or integrated into the anemometer
- Easy orientation with the wheel present on the remote control (if you take the VARIATIONS IO or RTS models from SOMFY for example).
- Remote control via your smartphone if you have an IO home automation box in your home
- Easy adjustment of the upper and lower limit switch during installation
You can do almost all of this if you have a wired installation connected to a KNX or other type wired home automation.
You got it, with one wordeur radio, you can already imagine yourself on your sofa managing the brightness of your living room, to take a nap in the shade!
Nevertheless, the manual BSO has the advantage of having no electronics, which makes it durable. It is therefore energy efficient (You are the engine!) and potentially, the manual sunscreen does not break down.
3. The width and shape of the aluminum slats
The design of your blade is chosen according to its use:
- 25mm slats, flat for small interior blinds
- 50 mm blades, flat or slightly curved for indoor or outdoor use under certain conditions
- 70 mm blade, Z or C shape for outdoor use. For boxes with a minimum depth of 10 cm.
- 65 or 80 mm blade in S or C shape for outdoor use. For boxes with a minimum depth of 12 cm.
- 90 mm blade in S or Z shape for outdoor use. For boxes with a minimum depth of 14 cm.
The choice is therefore made according to the location (indoor or outdoor), and then according to your installation constraints and the desired design. In this article, we focus on exterior blinds that are intended to protect you from the heat by cutting out the sun's rays.
The Z90 blade is the best compromise , because it allows you to have:
- a smaller blade package in height than the Z70 or C80,
- a more interesting price, because fewer blades to manufacture,
- better stability in windy conditions, for example,
However, we must have a reservation with a depth of 14 cm, to be able to install it easily without damaging it. Whereas with a Z70, for example, only 10 cm is enough.
Here is the total height of a slat package based on the total height of the blind. You can remember that you need at least 25cm of boot height if your windows do not exceed 215cm.
This is because the smaller they are, like the Z70 with 70mm blades, the greater the height of the pack is going to be , because you have more blades. We are talking about a few cm, but in many situations the last one can exceed which will not be very aesthetic.
However, with the 70 mm versions , you will therefore gain in boot depth . This is appreciated in the context of a passive house where the quest for ZERO thermal bridges is to be achieved. ;-)
What are the differences between a roller shutter and an adjustable sunshade?
The rolling shutter has an apron, the brise-soleil has slats
A roller shutter is equipped with an aluminum apron with generally insulated static blades. They are 36 to 50 mm high.
PVC aprons are the cheapest, but are not insulated.
The slats of a roller shutter are not adjustable most of the time (the option exists at Bubendorff). They remain vertical and fit into each other.
Assembled one above the other, they ensure complete darkness when the shutter apron is closed.
image source: Bubendorff website
The bso is equipped with very thin aluminum slats which stack one above the other toform a pack of blades. They measure from 20 cm to 45 cm in height depending on the model. Aluminum is preferred to steel because it is lighter and more resistant over time.
It's exactly the same principle as the small interior blinds that we have all handled at least once.
Unlike shutters, aluminum slats are not insulated.
They are all crossed in the middle by a traction tape which raises the last blade, called the load bar. It is thicker and heavier to keep the blind taut.
It is by going up this last slat that all the others located above are stacked horizontally with each other.
They are oriented using a ribbon called a "ladder" , hung in front and behind each blade. This is also called directional tapes.
This ladder can be hung with a loop that passes through an open flat ring. This is the most economical and widespread system.
Shutter or BSO? Which best protects your home against break-ins and theft?
Before you start, if someone wants to come home... they will always get there though! But, a roller shutter is still a real protective barrier in front of your windows.
Your insurer will require you to put shutters or 10 mm (44.6 or SP10) safety glass on all your windows if you lack protective bars.
It can be as strong as a flap if you take a BSO with an anti-lift system . Its price will be higher.
In addition, the chain / rack present behind the scenes requires maintenance to prevent it from seizing up over time.
Generally, this type of product is sold by networks of artisans who provide maintenance.
The rack in the slides prevents the blades from being lifted by hand when lowered.
But, horizontally, it is impossible to lift them by hand… except with a crowbar or other utensil.
Conversely, the non-secure external venetian blind can be lifted by hand by taking the last load bar and lifting it with all the others.
Having done this many times with customers, you easily lift one side of the awning 50cm or even 1m high, but the pack of slats quickly becomes heavy .
Moreover, this “wild” manipulation of such a beautiful product is very noisy!
It's really not easy to get under it to access your window or your door lock. A thief in a hurry will head for your garage front or service door, get in in 30 seconds and get out just as fast.
So, what choice to make to protect yourself from the sun ? Put a very expensive anti-lift BSO or a version that lifts?
Traditional BSO is not considered insurance protection. That is why. You will have to put safety glasses on your windows to respect your insurance contract.
Despite everything, a traditional adjustable sunshade with safety glass on the windows will always cost less than an external blind with anti-lift system with standard glass on the windows (4/16/4 for example).
Moreover, as no mechanism is present behind the scenes of the simple model, the durability of the latter is assured!
Never neglect the maintenance of the equipment you choose.
Between a shutter and a BSO, which makes complete darkness in a room?
Without a doubt, the roller shutter ! He alone ensures complete darkness in a room, even in the middle of the day. The design of the apron that goes behind the scenes, prevents light from passing through.
Unlike the BSO which has about 5mm of space between the blade and the slide on each side. With cable BSOs, the day is incore no longer present.
But in summer, if you want to stay in the shade with shutters , you will experience darkness all day.
Whereas with a BSO , you lower the blades, then you put them horizontally. You also see what is happening in your garden while preventing the sun from entering!
The light enters your living rooms, but not the sun. You begin to understand the advantages of a well-designed bioclimatic house.
But then… what to choose?
Our advice is to put shutters in the bedrooms and BSOs in the living room or living rooms .
And if you opt for BSO for your rooms, we advise you to put good safety glass curtains on all your windows.
A roller shutter is often motorized , and the manual BSO?
No, both can be motorized or manual with a rod. No strap for the BSO.
A brise soleil, which is therefore an adjustable blind with aluminum slats, can be equipped with a radio motor or a wired motor. Whether SOMFY Rts or IO motors, or even Geiger, your brise-soleil will show and operate with a simple press of a remote control.
Add a light sensor , it is automatically lowered to protect you from solar radiation whatever the season.
A shutter resists the wind while the BSO is put askew. True or false?
A roller shutter, once closed, is very resistant to the wind if it is placed in front of a window. But the BSO is also resistant if the blades are vertical and flat against each other!
The risk with BSO is when you leave your blades horizontal and the full set down . It's closed, but you can see through it.
In this case, a very strong wind can damage the ribbons of the BSO if the blades start to move strongly and hit each other. Check out our article on wind resistance .
The Z versions or some C versions are fitted along the entire length with a small seal, to limit noise or avoid scratches when they rub against each other.
To avoid this, we recommend for BSOs over 3 m wide or for those whose home is exposed to strong winds, to install an anemometer (sensor that rotates according to the speed of the wind) on your facade. .
The anemometer, which uses a radio communication protocol, will send a signal to the motor to tell it to wind up your sun protection. This is how it will automatically remount in your absence and will be protected from the weather.
When choosing a BSO, make sure the blades have only one barb (mushroom) at the end of the blade. The mushrooms that go behind the scenes must be staggered. This prevents them from remaining crooked.
Between a shutter and a BSO... the design and the atmosphere created has nothing to compare!
The BSOs have a more contemporary design seen from the outside. They are increasingly used everywhere in France. Brightness level and interior atmosphere, it wins at all levels.
So if you want to keep light, see what's going on outside and protect yourself from the sun, don't hesitate!
The benefits of
adjustable sun shading
- Protects against heat and sun
- Reduction of artificial lighting (energy saving)
- Allows you to benefit from light or heat thanks to the adjustable blades
- Reduces visibility from the outside without obstructing the depth of field (avoids prying eyes)
Indeed, if you have a very pronounced vis-à-vis to the point that you have the impression of living with your neighbour, the BSO is a solution that allows you to maintain privacy while enjoying natural light. .
OSIs are often found in passive houses . They have large glass surfaces to let the heat in. The sun breezes will act as a natural rampart in the summer to block the heat outside. Do not put the blind inside.
What is the price of an adjustable sunscreen per m²?
The price of a blind with adjustable slats depends on:
- the desired level of protection (anti-lift or traditional)
- the shape of the slats and the quality of the lacquering ( C or Z slat)
- the material of the traction tape used (simple fabric or kevlar)
- equipment present on the slats (noise seal, metal or plastic pins, slides or cables)
- the chosen motorization (manual with your arms, wired or radio)
- its type of integration (in the existing box, behind a simple sheet, between two sheets, or on the front in an aluminum box)
- its size and delivery constraints. Above a certain dimension, delivery requires crossing specialized carriers.
What is the price of a BSO per m²?
Here is a simulation with the BSO Z90:
- 3 windows of 1200 × 1200 (bedrooms)
- 1 French window of 1200 × 2150 (kitchen)
- 1 sliding door of 2500 × 2300 (living room)
- 1 sliding of 4000 m by 2300 (living room)
This brings us, for a complete house, without the installation, to approximately 190 € HT/m² with a wired motorization . If you want a SOMFY radio motorization, you can add around €150 excluding VAT per BSO.
If you have a professional pose , let's count from 200 to 400ᵉ per m². Be careful if you want to quantify your project with costs per m² on this type of product. Because often the reality is much higher.
How to install your Brise soleil with adjustable blades (BSO)?
Watch this video before you start. You will find that it is relatively easy to set it up. If you have any difficulties, our team is also there to support you on your project.
Which color to choose for your Brise soleil orientable (BSO)?
Generally, you will choose your shutters and your BSO in the same color as the joinery. This may turn out to be a mistake if your joinery is dark and your brise-soleil faces south!
Indeed, by choosing RAL7016 anthracite gray or RAL9005 black, your shutters and your BSO will be transformed into real radiators in front of your bay windows.
This can double or even triple the outside temperature. For example, with 30° outside in summer due south, we have already measured 70° behind the BSO.
We therefore advise you to:
- keep the slides ( frame of the shutter/BSO ) and the box or the closing sheet, the same color as the window . We are therefore talking about the color of the frame. So when your shutters or your BSO are raised, you ensure a discreet integration with your windows behind.
- Slice with a lighter color such as RAL9006 light aluminum for all aprons and slats of your BSOs. When they are down, they will reflect the maximum light and heat. This gives a rather modern side to your home! Look around you, it's happening more and more.
Here are the colors available on Lacentrale-eco products:
Our choice for the blades of your BSO
Lacentrale-eco has selected for you, an industrialist who has been manufacturing BSOs and all types of blinds for over 40 years.
The simplicity of the products makes them robust and durable, thus ensuring an excellent quality-price-eco-responsibility ratio.
We believe that a world made of durable equipment and a world is already turned towards tomorrow.
We favored by choice adjustable sunscreens with Z90 aluminum slats.
These profiled slats are 0.42 mm thick and 92.5 mm wide. They are covered with a lacquered coating guaranteeing resistance to bad weather. Thanks to them, you benefit from better darkening, without maintenance.
Conclusion
The increase in glazed surfaces coupled with the rise in temperatures require us to protect our homes from the sun . The sunscreen is one of the answers to live comfortably in your house or your terrace without crossing an air conditioning!
It will have to be integrated into an overall design to reduce or limit its environmental impact and lower its energy bill. We are talking about a bioclimatic house with solar caps, good orientation, colors and materials with high inertia, vegetation, etc.
Know that if you have a project, we are here to help you, hoping that this guide already provides many answers. During the construction of your house, the installation of BSO can be an excellent decision to ensure optimal thermal comfort. Make your quote directly online on our site, both for the sun protection part (pergola, awning) and for the roller shutters.
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