The summer months are the peak of spending free time in the comfort of home, but they are also the period of greatest environmental stress for residential and commercial buildings. On the one hand, high temperatures and strong solar radiation exhaust us during the day, and on the other hand, pleasant summer evenings with open windows and lights on are regularly disturbed by invasions of mosquitoes, midges and other insects. Solving only one of these problems does not bring complete living comfort.
If we protect the window only with a classic blind when we want to ventilate the room in the evening, we open the unprotected path to insects with the window open. In contrast, a stand-alone fixed mosquito net provides excellent protection against insects, but offers absolutely no protection against overheating of the room during a hot sunny day. Modern building design therefore requires a complex, multifunctional solution that addresses both challenges at the same time.
The advanced ZIP screen with mosquito net (either in an integrated double cassette or as a well-thought-out combination of external protection and mesh) is the ultimate answer to these summer challenges. It is a technologically advanced system that combines in one window the highly effective thermal barrier of a reliable external roller blind and airtight physical protection against insects, controlled by modern automation.
The main line of defense against the summer heat is the external ZIP screen. Its construction with welded zippers in the side guides ensures exceptional mechanical stability and wind resistance, while the advanced screen fabric reflects up to 90% of the sun's heat energy before it reaches the glass. However, the full functionality of this system only comes with its digitalization and integration of smart drives.
When the heat subsides in the afternoon and it's time for evening relaxation, the ZIP screen simply lifts via a set routine or voice command (e.g. via Apple HomeKit or Google Home). The space is opened up again to the outside and the view, while the building has maintained a pleasant, cool interior temperature all day long, without the need for artificial air conditioning.
In order to prevent insects from entering when the blinds are raised in the evening and the windows are opened, the shading system must be perfectly coordinated with the appropriate mosquito net. In modern architecture, two top-notch technical solutions are most often used: integration into a common housing (double cassette) or independent, but architecturally coordinated installation of a roller or pleated mosquito net right behind the ZIP screen guides.
For larger panoramic sliding walls or balcony doors, where roller screens are not the most practical due to the passage, ZIP screen is perfectly complemented by pleated or sliding screens. These mechanisms slide horizontally and require minimal installation depth, which allows them to operate smoothly directly under the motorized external blind.
The key technical feature shared by a modern ZIP screen and a quality mosquito net is the complete sealing of the side edges. In the case of a ZIP screen, this task is performed by a zipper in the guide, while in the case of roller mosquito nets, special high-density brushes with an anti-wind mechanism are installed in the side guides. These brushes prevent the wind from blowing the mesh out of the guides, while at the same time they do not leave even microscopic gaps for insects to pass through.
The mosquito net itself is woven from extremely thin but durable fiberglass, coated with a layer of PVC or a nanotechnology protective layer. This material provides high tensile strength and long-term resistance to UV radiation and temperature fluctuations, which is crucial for the long life of the product in the summer months.
Due to its black or anthracite grey colour, the mosquito screen mesh is almost invisible to the human eye inside the room. When your motorised ZIP screen is raised and the mosquito screen is lowered, the view of the garden or surroundings remains crystal clear and undistorted, while your house is completely protected from all unwanted summer visitors.
The combination of a smart ZIP screen and a mosquito net is the most powerful tool for implementing passive, natural cooling of buildings. In summer, the outside air is significantly cooler than the air inside the building at night and in the early morning hours. Natural ventilation uses this cold air to lower the temperature of walls and furniture for free, without using electricity.
In the evening, you can trigger the “Night ventilation” routine via the smart home app. The motorized ZIP screens raise or lower to a translucent level, the windows open, and the built-in mosquito nets ensure that only fresh air enters through the openings. Since there is no risk of mosquito bites or other insects, you can leave the windows open all night without worry.
This natural air exchange improves the quality of life, reduces CO2 concentration in bedrooms and ensures a much healthier sleep than sleeping under the constant blowing of an air conditioner. In the morning, the smart home system simply closes the windows and lowers the external ZIP screens again, thus retaining the night coolness in the building during the day.
Planning window openings that will include both a motorized external roller shutter and an integrated insect control system requires timely architectural coordination. The installation depths of the cassettes must be taken into account and appropriate power and control lines for the smart motors must be provided so that the installation later proceeds smoothly and without aesthetic defects on the facade.
To ensure a carefree summer with fully automated protection against heat and insects, connect with experienced professionals. We invite you to find authorized installers and dealers in the Interlux partner network who will advise you on the selection, design a solution for your windows and ensure the flawless installation of your new ZIP screen system with mosquito net.
