Keep Your Home Cooler with Advanced Solar Control

Solar Reflective Roller Blinds are designed to help reduce heat build-up, minimise glare and improve comfort in rooms exposed to strong sunlight. They are particularly effective for south-facing rooms, conservatories, garden rooms, bifold doors and large glazed areas that can quickly become uncomfortable during warmer weather.

Selected roller blind fabrics are available with Solar Reflective Coating (SRC), also known as Advanced Solar Control (ASC). This specialist aluminium-backed coating helps reflect a greater proportion of the sun’s heat and UV rays back through the glazing, reducing the amount of solar energy entering the room.

Originally developed for conservatory roof pleated blinds, this advanced technology is now available on selected roller blind fabrics, providing an attractive, discreet solution for improving comfort without compromising the clean, contemporary appearance of roller blinds.

How Does Solar Reflective Coating Work?

Solar Reflective Coating (SRC), also known as Advanced Solar Control (ASC), is a specialist aluminium-backed layer applied to the reverse of selected roller blind fabrics. Rather than allowing the sun’s energy to pass into the room, the reflective coating helps bounce a greater proportion of heat and UV rays back through the glazing.

This helps improve comfort in rooms exposed to prolonged sunshine, particularly during warmer weather, while maintaining the clean, contemporary appearance of a roller blind.

The coating works in two ways:

• Reflects a higher proportion of solar heat and UV rays during summer to help reduce heat build-up and glare.
• Provides an additional thermal barrier during colder months, helping to reduce heat loss through the glazing.

While Solar Reflective Coating is not a replacement for specialist glazing or air conditioning, it can make a noticeable difference in south-facing rooms, conservatories, garden rooms and other areas that receive high levels of direct sunlight.

Where Are Solar Reflective Roller Blinds Most Effective?

Solar reflective roller blinds are particularly effective in rooms that receive prolonged sunshine and are prone to overheating. They help reduce heat build-up, minimise glare and improve comfort while maintaining a clean, contemporary appearance.

• South-facing windows
• Conservatory side windows
• Orangeries
• Garden rooms and sunrooms
• Bifold and sliding patio doors
• Large glazed areas in modern extensions
• Home offices affected by screen glare
• Living rooms with strong afternoon sun

If your room becomes uncomfortably warm during sunny weather or suffers from excessive glare, solar reflective roller blinds can provide a practical solution while complementing the overall design of your home.

Why Choose Solar Reflective Roller Blinds?

Solar reflective roller blinds combine effective solar control with a clean, contemporary appearance. They are particularly well suited to larger windows, helping to reduce heat build-up and glare while maintaining a simple, streamlined look that complements both traditional and modern homes.

• Clean, minimal appearance when lowered or fully raised
• Ideal for larger windows, patio doors and bifold doors
• Can cover wider areas of glazing with fewer blinds
• Helps reduce heat build-up and glare during sunny weather
• Available with motorised operation for added convenience
• Wide choice of colours, textures and performance fabrics

For larger areas of glazing, roller blinds can often provide a simpler and more discreet solution than using multiple individual blinds, while still delivering excellent solar control and everyday practicality.

Comfort Throughout the Year

Solar Reflective Roller Blinds are designed to improve comfort all year round, although their greatest benefit is during warmer weather when rooms are exposed to prolonged sunshine.

During spring and summer, the aluminium-backed coating reflects a greater proportion of solar heat and UV rays back through the glazing. This helps reduce heat build-up, minimise glare and create a more comfortable living environment.

During autumn and winter, the same reflective layer can also help reduce heat loss through the window, providing an additional insulating barrier alongside your glazing.

While Solar Reflective Coating is primarily designed to improve summer comfort, the additional insulation may also contribute to improved energy efficiency throughout the year.

Motorised Solar Reflective Roller Blinds

Combining Solar Reflective Roller Blinds with Somfy Zigbee motorisation creates one of the most effective solutions for managing heat gain, glare and natural daylight throughout the day. Rather than relying on manual adjustment, compatible motorised blinds can automatically respond to changing sunlight, helping maintain a more comfortable indoor environment.

This is particularly beneficial for south-facing rooms, conservatories, bifold doors, patio doors and modern glazed extensions where sunlight and temperature change significantly throughout the day.

• Automatically lower blinds before rooms become uncomfortably warm
• Reduce glare on televisions, laptops and computer screens
• Help limit solar heat gain during periods of strong sunshine
• Raise blinds again when natural daylight becomes beneficial
• Control individual blinds, entire rooms or your whole home using the Somfy TaHoma Smart Hub

Many customers choose Solar Reflective Roller Blinds together with Somfy Zigbee motorisation because it combines outstanding solar control with intelligent automation. Instead of reacting once a room has already become hot, your blinds can respond automatically throughout the day, helping maintain comfort while making the most of natural daylight.

Explore Smart Blind Automation »

Helping Protect Furniture, Flooring and Décor

Strong sunlight can cause fading and discolouration over time, particularly on flooring, furniture, curtains, artwork and soft furnishings positioned close to windows.

Solar Reflective Coating helps reflect a higher proportion of UV rays and solar energy back through the glazing, which may help reduce the effects of prolonged sun exposure inside your home.

While no blind can completely eliminate UV exposure, solar reflective roller blinds can provide an additional layer of protection while also helping to improve comfort during warmer weather.

Roller Blinds or Pleated Blinds?

Solar reflective technology was originally developed for pleated blinds used on conservatory roofs and shaped glazing. Today, selected roller blind fabrics are also available with Solar Reflective Coating, providing an excellent solution for larger vertical windows and glazed areas.

For many homes, roller blinds offer several practical advantages:

• Cover larger areas of glazing with fewer blinds
• Clean, contemporary appearance suitable for modern homes
• Retract neatly out of sight when not in use
• Ideal for patio doors, bifold doors and large windows
• Available with motorised operation for added convenience

Pleated blinds remain an excellent choice for conservatory roof glazing and smaller individual window panels. During your consultation, we’ll help you compare both options and recommend the most suitable solution for your windows, lifestyle and budget.

Considering Vertical Solar Reflective Blinds?

If you have very wide windows, patio doors or large areas of glazing, solar reflective vertical blinds may also be worth considering. Like solar reflective roller blinds, selected vertical blind fabrics can help reduce heat build-up and glare while still providing a practical and stylish finish.

Vertical blinds offer the added benefit of directional light control, allowing you to tilt the louvres to manage sunlight throughout the day without fully closing the blind.

• Useful for wide windows and patio doors
• Good directional light control
• Helps reduce glare and solar heat gain
• Practical for larger glazed areas
• Available in selected solar reflective fabrics

During your consultation, we can help you compare roller and vertical options and recommend the most suitable solution for your windows and how the room is used.

Choosing the Right Solar Reflective Fabric

Solar Reflective Coating is available on selected roller blind fabrics, allowing you to balance solar control with the appearance and performance you want for your home. Not every roller blind fabric is suitable for SRC or ASC backing, so choosing the right material is an important part of the process.

During your consultation, we’ll help you compare the available fabrics and recommend the most suitable option based on:

• Heat reduction and solar control
• Glare reduction for TVs and computer screens
• Privacy during the day and evening
• Light levels within the room
• Colours and finishes to complement your décor
• Whether the blinds will be manually operated or motorised

Our experienced advisers will guide you through the available options, helping you choose a fabric that provides the right balance of performance, appearance and practicality for your home.

Dim-Out or Blackout Solar Reflective Roller Blinds?

Solar Reflective Coating is designed to help reduce heat build-up, glare and UV exposure, but the coating itself does not automatically make a fabric blackout. The level of light reduction depends on the fabric selected.

Solar reflective roller blinds may be available in both dim-out and blackout fabric options, depending on the range. Dim-out fabrics are often suitable for living rooms, home offices and glazed extensions where you still want some natural light, while blackout fabrics are better suited to bedrooms or rooms where stronger light reduction is required.

It is important to remember that no internal blind should be described as 100% blackout, as small amounts of light can still enter around the edges of the blind. During your consultation, we can help you choose the most suitable fabric based on heat control, glare reduction, privacy and room-darkening requirements.

Solar Reflective Roller Blinds at a Glance

• Specialist aluminium-backed Solar Reflective Coating (SRC / ASC)
• Helps reduce heat build-up and glare during sunny weather
• Reflects a higher proportion of UV rays and solar energy
• May help improve insulation during colder months
• Ideal for south-facing rooms, conservatories, extensions and bifold doors
• Clean, contemporary appearance with a wide choice of fabrics and colours
• Available on selected roller blind fabrics
• Professional measuring and fitting by our own in-house team

Care, Maintenance and Value

Solar reflective roller blinds are designed to be practical as well as effective. The specialist reflective backing is applied during manufacture and, with normal care, is designed to provide long-lasting performance.

For regular maintenance, lightly dust the blind or wipe the fabric side with a clean, slightly damp cloth where suitable. Avoid harsh chemical cleaners, abrasive cloths or excessive rubbing, especially on the reflective backing.

Solar reflective fabrics are usually positioned above standard roller blind fabrics because of the specialist backing. Many customers consider the additional investment worthwhile because of the improved comfort, glare reduction and added protection against strong sunlight.