Renovating a roller shutter box in an old building is one of the most effective ways of eliminating thermal bridges and heat loss. This is because there is often insufficient insulation around the roller shutter box, allowing heat to escape unnoticed. This has a noticeable impact on living comfort, increases heating costs and can lead to mold growth. If you renovate Roller Shutters or insulate them sufficiently, you can significantly increase the energy efficiency of your home. In this article, you will find out which renovation work is recommended on roller shutter boxes in old buildings.
Let our ROMA specialist partners advise you on suitable solutions and renovation options.
Old roller shutter boxes: are often poorly insulated or not insulated at all, resulting in heat loss and unpleasant draughts.
Targeted insulation of the roller shutter box: prevents thermal bridges and reduces heating costs.
Renovation of roller shutter boxes: can be easily implemented in many cases without completely replacing the windows or roller shutters.
Front-Mounted Roller Shutters: are ideal for renovations in old buildings - including listed buildings.
A classic roller shutter box sits above the window in the building envelope and houses the roller shutter curtain. When the roller shutters are raised, the roller shutter curtain inside the box is rolled onto a roller shutter shaft. When the Roller Shutters are closed, the curtain rolls back down from the roller shutter shaft and closes the window.
Modern roller shutter boxes are also fitted with insulating materials so that they do not interrupt the insulation in the building envelope and form an energy-efficient unit. The boxes of Front-Mounted Roller Shutters are an exception to this. This variant is not inserted into the building envelope, but mounted in front of the façade. This means that no intervention in the building envelope is necessary during installation and the insulation remains intact.
In old buildings, windows and Roller Shutters are often weak points in terms of energy efficiency. This means that heat is lost to the outside at these points, which increases heating costs in the cold months and reduces energy efficiency. Roller shutter boxes in particular are often not sufficiently insulated in older buildings. Cold air flows in through the thin box walls, while heat is lost at the same time. The consequences: cool rooms, unpleasant draughts and high energy losses.
This particularly affects buildings that were built before the first Thermal Insulation Ordinance in 1977. It was only with this introduction of regulations on energy-saving thermal insulation that heat loss through leaking building parts was regulated for new buildings.
Thermal bridges are weak points in the building structure where the heat from the interior penetrates to the outside faster than into the surrounding room. In many buildings, thermal bridges occur where the insulating building envelope is breached - e.g. at windows, doors and especially at the roller shutter box. If it is not clear which part of the building is causing heat loss, weak points can be clearly identified using a thermal imaging camera.
Typical signs of thermal bridges on the roller shutter box include
Cold surfaces and draughts above the window
Damp walls, condensation and mold formation
Increased heating costs despite closed windows
Thermal bridges can be eliminated by renovating the roller shutter box in old buildings. Depending on the structural situation, the renovation can be carried out in different ways. However, the result is always the same: living comfort increases and the indoor climate improves. This allows you to save on heating costs and increase energy efficiency.
If existing boxes should not or cannot be replaced, a special insulation insert can be installed. This significantly reduces heat loss in the old building and improves the seal.
If the roller shutter box is very old or damaged, it is worth replacing it with a modern system. ROMA front-mounted roller shutters, for example, are suitable for this. They are installed in front of the façade so that the insulation of the building envelope is retained.
The simultaneous renovation of windows and Roller Shutters is a good idea in old buildings, as the glazing is often not sufficiently insulated. If you modernize these parts of the building together, you can opt for a fully insulated solution.
ROMA Top-Mounted Roller Shutters are inserted into the building envelope with the window and have thermal insulation properties. This turns the new roller shutter box into an effectively insulating part of the building.
The ROMA TERMO 2 Renovation Roller Shutters can be installed with or without window replacement. With this system, the old roller shutter box is retained, but is modernized with a well-insulated roller shutter system. This prevents thermal bridges in the long term. This variant is particularly suitable for old buildings that are listed as historical monuments, as no intervention in the façade is necessary for installation. However, before such renovations can be carried out on an old building, the planned work must be approved by the listed building authorities.
The roller shutter box in old buildings is particularly susceptible to thermal bridges and can cause high heat losses. Renovation is recommended to eliminate this problem area. Modern systems such as Front-Mounted Roller Shutters or Top-Mounted Roller Shutters are ideal for renovating the roller shutter box and various modernization projects in old buildings.
With roller shutter systems from ROMA, you can optimize the energy efficiency of your home, save on heating costs and improve your living comfort without losing the charm of the old building.
Use the ROMA specialist dealer search and get advice on suitable solutions for roller shutter boxes in old buildings.
Special insulation elements are available for the renovation of roller shutter boxes, which are inserted into the existing box and can often be retrofitted. Alternatively, we recommend replacing them with a modern system with insulation such as the ROMA TERMO 2 Renovation Roller Shutters or Front-Mounted Roller Shutters.
Old roller shutter boxes interrupt the insulation of the building envelope and are often not sufficiently insulated themselves, resulting in thermal bridges. As a result, heat escapes unhindered to the outside while cold penetrates.
Well-insulated roller shutter boxes and Front-Mounted Roller Shutters with external roller shutter boxes save heating costs, prevent draughts and improve the indoor climate. The insulation also protects against mold growth and increases living comfort.
Yes, Front-Mounted Roller Shutters and ROMA TERMO 2 Renovation Roller Shutters can be installed without interfering with the fabric of the building and are ideal for listed buildings. However, the renovation of the roller shutter box must first be approved by the listed building authorities.