American expats living in Spain love Spanish window blinds: ‘Persianas’ are great for keeping out the heat

Spain is one of the countries in Europe that is blessed with an above average number of hours of sunlight, between 2,500 and 3,000 per year, thanks to around 300 sunny days per year, although there are wide variations by region. This makes it one of the prime vacation destinations for northern Europeans seeking to soak up some sun and get a dose of vitamin D, not to mention some tapas and cañas.

However, one of the habits Spaniards have that can baffle non-Iberians at first is that the windows on homes are often completely covered by retractable roller shutters or blinds known as ‘persianas’. However, once expats and tourists discover their usefulness they fall in love with them.

Persianas are great for keeping out the heat

Window coverings of one kind or another have been around for centuries, and every location has its own style. Spanish persianas are generally built into the frame of the door or window and can be raised or lowered using a cord, a crank, and even electronically with a remote control or switch these days.

They are typically situated on the exterior of the frame, but can be in the interior of the frame or even the window itself. Besides providing privacy, allowing you to have the windows open to allow air to flow through when you sleep without prying eyes, they can also be great for muffling sounds from the outdoors in combination with the windows being closed.

However, their primary utility is blocking the sunlight, which becomes of the upmost importance during the summer months. Summer temperatures in Spain can get hot, very hot, rising into the triple digits for days on end.

One of the age-old tricks for keeping homes cool in the summer swelter without air conditioning is to turn your abode into a personal cave. The idea is that you throw open all of the windows and persianas when the morning air is at its coolest, typically around 7 am, and then let it flood through the house.

Before the morning sun sends the temperatures soaring close everything up tight, no later than 10:30 says Spanish Tips Every Day, trapping in the cool air and keeping the sunlight from warming everything up. Ideally, your persianas will be a light color to better reflect the sunlight away, making them great for keeping out the heat.

Once the sun goes down, and the temperatures drop again, you can then open up to air out the house. If you do this strategically, and correctly, you can keep your house around 20 degrees or more cooler than the temperature outside during the worst of a heatwave.

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