Have you noticed how builders are once again embracing the humble awning when they construct both homes and commercial spaces? I first began noticing this on a recent trip to a beach town.
This little beach town has, of course, the beach, as a big tourist draw, but they are also trying to improve other parts of the town, too.
This little beach town added this adorable little shopping area with quaint little shops selling everything from ice cream cones to high end home furnishings. The shops, though, are not inside an air conditioned mall. Each shop has a door that opens to the great outdoors, which is, for the most part, miserably hot. The outside feels like a furnace, and when people are opening the door to come in all day long, all that furnace hot air comes inside and the a/c has to duke it out with the heating that enters. Enter the amazing awnings. Builders are once again embracing the power of the awning to decrease cooling costs. The awnings provide shade and help keep the sun out so the a/c doesn’t have to run as much to keep the thermostat setting where it belongs. In addition, the awning helps cool the air right in front of the shop door, so it feels less like a furnace blowing in. Also, awnings are charming, right? I love awnings and know they help with cooling costs, so I am glad that builders are once again embracing the humble but useful awning as a cooling tool.