Comparison of costs and benefits

Initial costs

The cheapest option is classic outdoor blinds. Their price starts from about 500-600 PLN per square meter with installation. Facade blinds are an expense of the order of 700-900 PLN per square meter. Zip-screen systems, as the most advanced technology, cost from 800 to 1200 zł per square meter.

Sample calculation for the house:
Consider a typical single-family house with 6 windows measuring 1.5 x 2 m each (18 m² in total). The cost of installation will be:

• External blinds: 9 000 - 10 800 zł
• Facade blinds: 12 600 - 16 200 zł
• Zip-screen system: 14 400 - 21 600 zł

However, the purchase price alone is not everything. It is worth considering that zip-screen systems often do not require additional construction work during installation, while the installation of roller shutters may involve the need to modify the lintel or facade, which generates additional costs.

Durability and operating costs

All systems in question are designed for at least 10 years of use, but their actual service life depends on the quality of maintenance and operating conditions. Zip-screen systems have fewer mechanical components, which translates into a lower risk of failure and lower maintenance costs.

Facade blinds require regular cleaning of lamellas and lubrication of mechanisms, usually twice a year. Outdoor blinds are relatively maintenance-free, but their guides may need to be adjusted or replaced over time.

Savings on air conditioning

Analysis of savings on the example of:

In a typical single-family house with large glazing (about 30m² of windows), air conditioning on hot days has to cope with about 24kW of thermal energy penetrating through the glazing. At current electricity prices, this means a cost of about 400-600 PLN per month in the summer season only for cooling.

The use of an external sun protection system can reduce this load by 75-85%. In practice, this means:

• Reduction of electricity bills by PLN 300-500 per month during the season
• Return on investment within 2-3 years
• Longer air conditioning life due to less load

Comfort of use

Modern sun protection systems are not only protection from the sun - it is also an increase in the comfort of life. Zip-screen systems offer the highest level of automation — they can be controlled by an app on your phone, react to weather conditions or work with smart home systems.

Facade blinds give the most control over the amount of light, but require more frequent adjustment. External blinds are the simplest to use, but also the least flexible in terms of control capabilities.

Automation Tip:
Although automation increases the initial cost of the system by about 15-20%, it is worth considering this option. The automatic control not only increases the comfort of use, but also allows the optimal use of the system - the weather sensors can automatically adjust the position of the covers to the weather conditions, maximizing energy savings.

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