Awnings offer a number of advantages to home owners. In addition to being attractive, they offer protection from both the sun and rain. Retractable awnings can make sitting outside on a patio more enjoyable, and window and door awnings can actually help reduce a homeowner’s energy bills.
One potential concern that homeowners may have before purchasing awnings for their home is their ability to stand up to winds and bad weather. In areas with strong gusts of wind or natural disasters like hurricanes and tornados especially, this is a real worry. Door and window awnings represent a significant investment for the future of the home, and homeowners need to make sure that they will last.
Recently, new technology and manufacturing techniques have become available to allow awnings to last during periods of heavy winds or natural disasters. Retractable awnings, usually the most vulnerable to changes in the wind’s velocity, are now able to be used even by people who live in areas of the country where this is a problem. Wind stabilizers and “de-flappers” help to allow the awning to stay in place in the face of strong winds, and there are now features like wind and rain sensors that roll the retractable awning up automatically when the weather gets too bad.
Stationary awnings are usually built to be more wind resistant in the first place, and are a good choice for people in areas that typically get heavy winds and rains. Usually stationary door and window awnings come with vents to allow the wind to pass through without harming the awning. Homeowners should ask about wind and weather ratings before making any purchasing decisions.
In addition, it is often recommended that awnings not be used during the winter months in order to maximize on heating efficiency, so homeowners that live in colder climates would do better to install a retractable awning with wind and rain sensors or stationary awnings that can be removed during the winter months.
The type of awning that is best for homeowners in high-wind areas, then, is one that has been rated to withstand high wind speeds as well as sudden gusts. There are quite a few options available, so homeowners should be sure to research and ask questions about the type of awning that would be best for them.
