Choose airtight shutters and save on energy bills

Driven by European climate goals, regulations on energy performance are tightening at a rapid pace. Good airtightness is crucial to meet these stricter requirements. From now on, roller shutters, just like blinds, can also play a role in determining energy levels. Wilms, specialist in sun protection, roller shutters and outdoor living products, introduced the  ShutterX^® A shutter with a focus on airtight construction.

With traditional built-in roller shutters and surface-mounted roller shutters, you could never get good results in a blower door test until now. After all, a home could not be airtight with these products.

"Whoever wanted to install a roller shutter also had to remove some of the insulation to fit the box. This created a construction node, through which heat could easily escape from the inside to the outside. Moreover, there was a risk of condensation occurring on the interior wall where the box was in the cavity wall. Windows in combination with such shutters could also never be fixed at the top against the interior wall, and thus the installation often lost much of its strength," Ronny Tiri, marketing manager at Wilms, explains the problem. "Our R&D department led by CEO Erik Wilms takes up the challenge every day to develop sustainable systems that can solve problems or respond to trends in the market. Witness the surface-mounted box with ventilation, the screen that can be built into a cavity or the aluminum and carbon shafts of our screens."

Wilms also developed ZipX®Zero in 2013, the first airtight screen that can be built into the cavity.

Roller shutter for airtight buildings

The Meerhout-based specialist has also developed an innovative roller shutter that is guaranteed to be airtight and thus does away with all of the above-mentioned problems, while also providing aesthetic added value for the façade. While Wilms, with the ZipX^®Zero already developed a screen in 2013, which could be integrated airtight, this did not yet exist for roller shutters. So now the specialist in sun protection, roller shutters and outdoor living products, is changing that.

The Shutter ShutterX^®, invisibly integrated into the façade, is concealed airtight in the cavity wall, without touching and perforating the inner wall. The insulation that is removed from the cavity makes room for a composite reinforcement profile that is integrated into the inner wall at the level of the box and takes over and even improves the insulation value of the missing cavity wall insulation.

In addition, the window can be attached to the interior wall from the top. A window with ShutterX^® is finished all around in the daylight opening with insulating construction boards, as a barrier between the cold outside and warm inside air. To avoid cold window sills in winter, a composite window support profile is used, on which both the interior and exterior window sills rest.

Detailed view of the integration of the airtight shutter into the facade.

Builder wins

Those who choose airtight shutters get a lot in return. The building knots, which cause the cabinet, guides and window sill, were solved. Shutters also make it easier to keep the heat in during the cold winter months and prevent overheating, eliminating the need for energy-consuming air conditioners.

"As an owner, you can control solar radiation yourself. In winter, fall or spring, the solar heat can be very interesting, while on warmer days it is better to keep the sun out to keep it fresh inside," Ronny Tiri concludes. "Tests have shown that one consumer per 1.50 x 1.50 m window with an airtight ShutterX^® shutter saves more than 40 euros annually on energy bills."