A Louvre or Jalousie window has traditionally had several benefits in warm climates. Traditional homes and buildings in tropical regions often use jalousie or louvre windows.
In warm tropical climates, a jalousie window is one of the best types of windows for natural ventilation. However, as air-conditioning became more popular in tropical regions, jalousies lost popularity.
A louvre or jalousie window in several regions is old fashion and outdated. Some future homeowners do not want to have them anywhere in their new homes. This is unfortunate since jalousie windows often outperform other popular window types in tropical countries.
Hence, I think jalousies can still be a significant benefit to your home’s functionality.
A jalousie window consists of slats or blades parallel to each other. These blades are in a frame that typically allows them to open and close together. Usually, the slats are horizontal.
A louvre window is the same thing as a jalousie. It depends on which part of the world you live in. Countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, India, the Philippines and Singapore use louvre. However, in the United States of America, they spell it as louver.
The blades of jalousie and louvre windows come in different materials. These include glass, wood, metal, acrylic and PVC.
Louvre windows have many advantages in tropical regions. They offer energy-efficient ways to light and cool a home in warm climates naturally.
If you are looking for windows for your new home and wondering if jalousies could make the cut, here are some things you should consider first.
One of the main reasons jalousie windows are ideal for tropical climates is the amount of natural ventilation they allow.
Louvre windows permit almost 100% of their area for natural ventilation.
However, other windows, such as sash or sliding windows, only allow 50% of their opening for natural ventilation. Awning windows allow even less breeze to flow through. Hence, louvres have one of the highest percentages of ventilation openings. They have an actual opening that is twice as large as most other window types on the market. This feature makes jalousie windows one of the most effective windows for the tropics.
When the rain falls, you must close most types of windows. This process is to prevent rainwater from entering your home.
Sash, sliding or casement windows can let in a lot of rainwater where there is no covering over the outdoor area.
Rain can begin to fall with little to no notice in tropical regions. This occurrence means rushing around your home to shut the windows.
However, you do not need to close jalousie windows completely. Once the louvre blades slope downwards enough, it can restrict the rain from entering. It also depends on the force of the rain and wind.
Hence, it means that your home can still benefit from some natural cross ventilation while the rain is falling.
Opaque louvre blades such as wood, metal or PVC can let in natural light when they are open. However, they can also block out unwanted direct sunlight when partially closed.
Hence, you can control how much direct sunlight actual enters your home. Depending on the time of the day, sunlight can enter your house from different directions and at various angles.
Apart from glass louvres, louvre windows allow you to control direct sunlight without the need for blinds or curtains. Whether you want to let in plenty of the sun or none, you have control.
Like rainfall, this advantage is that windows can always remain partially open to allow natural ventilation.
Jalousie windows can offer privacy while remaining partially open.
Louvre windows with wood, metal, PVC or frosted glass blades can remain open for natural ventilation. However, depending on how much they are open, they can completely prevent prying eyes from seeing into your home.
Therefore, your jalousie or louvre window can remain open while providing privacy without using curtains. This condition is helpful since blinds or curtains can restrict natural ventilation into your rooms.
Louvre windows can easily fit the desired opening size. They can also be placed next to each other or stacked one over the other.
This condition can sometimes be odd to achieve with other window types. Imagine having an entire wall, from floor to ceiling, using only sash windows. Not very practical. These types of windows tend to use fixed glazed panels to create large window openings.
However, it is not uncommon to have louvres fill an entire wall.
This flexibility with window opening sizes means that you can maximise the natural ventilation in your home.
Louvre blades typically come in glass, wood, metal, acrylic or PVC. This variety of materials can offer flexibility in style and functionality.
Glass jalousie windows can create a modern space with lots of natural light. These make a window that connects with the outdoors, whether the jalousies are open or closed.
Wood louvres can offer warm wooden tones to your tropical modern home interior. They could also have any colour paint finish to suit a desired aesthetic.
Metal louvres may suit a more commercial or industrial style of architecture.
Louvre windows also provide different colour options and profiles.
Hence, jalousie or louvre windows are versatile and fit with a variety of design aesthetics.
Growing up, I had the pleasure of cleaning the glass louvres in my old home. They were a pain to get and keep clean. You know what I mean if you have ever had to clean glass louvre windows. Trying to clean between each louvre blade was tedious.
So why do I say they are easier to clean? It is because I was always able to clean them from inside the house. All I needed was a chair to stand on for those high-level louvre windows.
This situation is not as easy with some other window types. It may involve reaching outside to clean some parts.
Unless your single-hung sash window is small and has tilt-in features, it is challenging to clean the entire outside from inside the house. You may be able to reach part of the outside of the window from inside, but you must often clean the remainder from outside.
Single-panel casements and awnings are also challenging.
This situation is an even more significant challenge for windows on upper floors and will probably require a ladder or professional cleaners.
Traditional jalousie windows are typically less expensive than other types of windows.
However, they also had some deficiencies like security, maintenance and airtightness.
Modern louvre windows correct a lot of the previous concerns with traditional jalousies. However, the price of these modern jalousie windows can be considerably higher.
Some traditional jalousie windows had some significant flaws with their design and function. For modern home applications, these deficiencies made louvre windows unpopular.
However, newer jalousie windows have made significant progress in functionality and performance.
Modern louvre and jalousie window designs like the Breezeway louvre window have several improvements. Hence, making them vastly superior to the old traditional jalousies of the past.
Here are some improvements to newer louvre windows that homeowners can benefit from today.
Modern louvre systems can come with automated or motorised options. You can control them by pressing a switch, remote control or even from your smartphone or tablet.
This condition is ideal for high level or clerestory windows that are not easy to reach.
Therefore, high roofs or ceilings can have louvres for venting warm air that rises to the top of your room. However, you can close them quickly when you need to.
Previously, you had to open and close high-level louvre windows with a rod with a hook.
Using a motorised louvre window can also be helpful when they are several windows in the room.
The motors in these modern jalousie windows are well hidden. In addition, these windows hide the operating mechanisms within the frame of the windows.
These modern louvres can operate on a timer or connect to a temperature sensor. Hence, adding a lot of practical functionality and control to your tropical home.
Older glass louvres traditionally did not offer a lot of security. The locking mechanism was weak, and intruders could prise the blades out of the frame.
However, modern jalousie windows now have more secure options for these.
Some modern louvre window manufacturers design their products with built-in security bars or security mesh screens.
Special pins secure the glass louvre blades to the frame in some louvre windows. These pins may require special tools to remove. Hence, making them difficult to remove by an intruder. More importantly, they resist anyone from accidentally falling through the louvre window. This feature is handy for windows on upper floors.
In addition, they can also come with a key lockable feature.
In regions where air-conditioning became more popular, older louvres were taken out to make way for other window types such as sash and sliding windows. Traditional louvres were not very airtight. Hence, too much cool air could leak out of the buildings. This leakage meant higher electricity consumption.
Today, louvre windows are far better at reducing air leakage. Many carry seals and strong locking pressure systems that offer a much tighter fit. Hence, when the louvre blades close, they create an air and watertight overlap.
Modern louvre window also uses better frame, hinge and clips connection designs. These designs prevent air from leaking or water from penetrating through the sides of the window.
You can install insect screens on your louvre windows. These screens can be on the outside or inside the window according to the style or manufacturer.
The benefit of having the screen on the inside is it is easier to install and remove. To secure screens on the outside means that you will either have to remove some of the louvre blades or go outside.
Glass blades are one of the most popular materials for louvre windows.
Having a glass louvre window allows you to create strong connections between the interior and exterior of your home.
Large expanses of glass openings are a prominent feature of many modern or contemporary homes today. We love how it opens a space to nature and the outdoor environment. They also admit a lot of natural light into your home.
However, large glazing areas that receive direct sunlight are not ideal in tropical climates. A regular glass window or door that encounters direct sunlight also allows a lot of heat into your home. This condition worsens when the glazing comprises fixed panels that do not allow any ventilation. Hence, the heat that enters cannot escape.
In situations where you have large bi-fold or sliding doors, these could open to let in lots of natural ventilation. However, I sometimes wonder what happens when they are closed. You may not always want your doors to be open for safety and security reasons.
Using a large opening of glass jalousie windows allows you to have an expansive glass while maximising ventilation and security. Of course, these will not always replace the function, appearance or performance of a bifold or sliding glazed door. However, they can be a great substitute in some tropical applications.
Glass louvre blades can come in a variety of options.
Clear glass can create more incredible connections to views and the outdoors.
A frosted glass finish can add some privacy while allowing natural light. In addition, if you open the louvre window slightly, these may also permit natural ventilation.
Tinted glass can help reduce the glare from direct sunlight. This type of glass may also reduce some of the heat.
Low-E glass jalousie blades offer a much higher level of energy efficiency. Hence, significantly reducing the heat that enters your home from direct sunlight.
Toughened glass blades are safer. These are useful where you or a family member can accidentally strike the louvre window. This type of glass shatters into several smaller pieces with no sharp edges. Hence, you are unlikely to become hurt by a shard of glass.
Modern jalousie window manufacturers test their windows to resist tropical storms and hurricanes.
Their improvements to seals, locking pressure clamps, and general design prevents water penetration. Some jalousie windows can even withstand a Category 5 hurricane or cyclone.
Hence, modern louvre windows offer better resilience to severe weather systems.
The benefits of jalousie or louvre windows should make them a definite consideration for your home in a tropical climate.
They offer a lot of natural ventilation while offering flexibility. You can control the amount of light you let in. The ability to keep them open while providing privacy and protection from the rain is also a big plus.
Modern louvre windows have a lot of improvements to the function and performance of the window. These include security, airtightness and resilience to hurricanes.
In tropical climates, it is essential to have flexibility in your windows. Louvre windows provide a ton of functionality and performance in your tropical home.
Featured image by Jason Boyd from Pexels
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