Hello from Canada! So Google comes up with a blank on this one – what’s up with these people outdoor window blinds in Belgium? I’ve never seen these before in North America or even other parts of Western Europe. Are they automated? Are they meant to insulate the house on hot sunny days?

38 comments

  2. Personally, I’ve always known them to keep the heat escaping when it’s cold, keep the heat from coming in when it’s warm.

  5. Shutters on a roll ( rolluik in dutch ). They are made out of plastic or aluminium and are used for protection against burglary, to keep the sun/heath out and to prevent people on the streets from looking inside. They can be operated manually, though nowadays most are electric. If you have a smart home, you can indeed automate them.

  6. It mostly manual but more and more automated.
    I don’t know the original purpose but it gives perfect black room, very helpful to sleep well

  7. it a sort of outside blinds.
    back when the windows sucked, it helped isolate. however now, most ppl don’t realise they suck now. the increase in isolation is made zero because there is a hole needed in the wall (that sorta stays open) to operate them. causing the cold wind/air to easy find a way inside. either from the rollers themselves, or the rope that operates them.
    there are good systems that use a remote and are fully build on the outside (on solar power to), but that’s not what you see here. They are very sturdy however.

    they work far better in the hot summers as they are white to reflect the heat and block the windows. as blocking heat from the outside works far better then inside blinds.

  8. For a big part for ypur privacy in the evening…when lights are on nobody sees you…Nowadays they are electric…sometimes programmed so burglars would think you are home during travel … old ones are very bad insulated…

  10. My parents use the roller shutters to keep the sun out in the summer and for insulation in the winter (at night). Also for privacy when it’s dark outside. Because they roll up on the inside they cannot be opened from the outside. It’s nearly impossible for a burglar to open them. Some people even have them in the door opening. Newer houses use them less and less because they have much better insulation, burglar-proof windows and alarm systems.

  12. On top of what other said, you can open them just slightly so that you get some light in, but people can’t easily see inside.

  14. My house has them only on the bedroom windows. They block out all light from outside, which is nice when you want to sleep in.

  15. They’re a lot better at keeping heat out on warm days than they are at keeping heat in on cold days.

  18. Mainly for privacy: it prevents people outside looking into your house when the lights are on (yes, it seems to be a Belgian thing that people have no shame whatsoever and just stare into your house when passing).
    Not sure if anyone cared about insulation back when these were popular. The young generation indeed places sunscreens or nothing at all.

  21. I’m from Italy and I’m always surprised when I found them around Brussels. Growing up they were a common thing for me, once I moved out of Italy I was puzzled by their absence. They are so undervalued!

  22. I didn’t know “persiennen” were so uncommon in other countries? Also, in the olden days, they used to be made from wood. Mather a fact, the ones in my parental home are still made from this material.

    Because the house used to be a store, there are two shopwindows, so the shutters are really heavy too. Normally you can pull the plastic ones up with a “strap”, but the ones we have, have to be winched up manually.

    Also, you have to realise that the shutters are on a roll, so that means that the roll is inside your house, above the ceiling or in a seperate encasement. Especially in the older houses, they aren’t really insulated well. A lot of noise from outside can be heard and in the winter a lot of heat escapes through there. To make things worse, the two shopwindows in my parental home are still single glass…

    Nowadays a lot of people choose for shutters where the encasement is on the outside of the house. Doesn’t look as neat, but in terms of insulation they are vastly better than the old ones. The newest ones don’t even need a connection with a electricity cable . They have a built in solar panel which generates enough electricity to make it work.

  23. Mulitple reasons:
    * Makes the house darker for the evening, the same as curtains
    * It’s supposed to be safer against burglars
    * It keeps the heat in a bit more
    * It keeps the heat out in the summer

    They can be automatic, but I expect this house to lower them manually.

  24. I use mine to prevent outside from seeing what’s inside when the night comes, block the sun so I can see the screen and protect my windows when storm gets too stormy.

  26. Hey canadian, you guys have a dish called poutine wich the quebecians defend with their lives. Anway, if that was released in Belgium, all i am saying is, you would be filthy rich

  28. The only valid reason why people have these is to put the blaffeture on a kiereke so you look what the neighbours are doing.

  29. I bought them mostly because I like my room super dark and most blind/curtains don’t cut it. They do help on hot days to keep the heat out, but not that much more efficient than a very dark curtain.

  33. there is a french song that says “on va poser, tu sais, des volets électriques. C’est un peu laid c’est vrai, mais c’est plus pratique.”

  34. I’m from the Netherlands and recently bought a house in Belgium. We are really laughing about it, because all the Belgium houses seem to have them. You also find them now and then in the Netherlands, but hardly on all windows. Really a difference between Belgium and the Netherlands 😅

  36. Mostly for privacy and “tradition”.

    Newer houses don’t have these anymore as all other advantages (insulation, safety, …) became obsolete because new houses are built with better materials & techniques than the houses of the previous century.

  38. I couldn’t imagine a house without them. Our house is from 1952 (new roof and in between walls insulated) and coldest it ever gets inside is 15°C and hottest i ever got here was 25°C during heatwave.

    The shutters are a godsend, no people can look in, no sun gets in during summer, and fully dark when sleeping.

    I have them on every window. Manual operated but they are geared so very easy to pull up.

    Doesn’t do shit for burglars like others tell, anyone could easily brake the plastic or thin metal guide rails with a crowbar or even a screwdriver and just pull the shutters out. I did it myself with 2 old ones here that got stuck.

Leave a Reply