How Effective Are PVC Outdoor Blinds As Protection Against Cold?

Types of Cold

• There are three major elements that cause people to feel cold while outdoors, each of which is protected against a little differently by outdoor blinds. Temperature is the main factor that affects how warm or cold someone feels. Wind can cause people to people to feel cold, even if the temperature is not particularly low. Damp surfaces tend to be cooler to the touch than dry surfaces. While temperature is the most important factor in terms of a feeling of coldness, it's the factor protected against least by PVC blinds.

Wind

• Outdoor blinds protect more effectively against the wind than temperature or dampness. Properly installed, the blinds stop the wind from blowing into the enclosed area. Without the wind-chill factor, the perceived temperature is going to be a little warmer than it would outside the blinds. If the blinds are not properly installed, some of the wind might penetrate, but most of it should still be stopped.

Dampness

• While the blinds do provide some protection against dampness, this protection is not as effective as against the wind. The blinds are going to stop rain from entering the enclosed area, which is the major source of dampness. Dew might still form inside the blinds if the conditions are right. The PVC used to make the blinds is waterproof, so the blinds do not retain water on its own. Stopping rain is going to prevent the interior from feeling damp and cold, but that is the extent of the protection.

Temperature

• PVC blinds do very little to retain the temperature within the enclosed area. It does provide a limited amount of help by stopping the wind from entering this area. If a space heater is operated inside a patio with outdoor blinds, it would retain heat slightly better than if the blinds were not present. This benefit is not significant enough to be appropriate in below freezing conditions. The PVC in the blinds does not provide any significant insulation. Without constantly running a heater, the interior of the blinds would very quickly drop to the exterior temperature.