How can you make the most of your automated sun protection?

Keeping the Sun’s Energy Out

With 2023 the hottest summer on record*, more than ever, we need to find ways to keep our homes cooler. Our windows act like radiators. Every square metre of window in your home that is directly exposed to the sun emits 500W of power – that’s a lot of extra heat inside. However, when you have automated window coverings, they help insulate your windows and block the sun, preventing heat gain.

Automated sun protection – such as motorised roller shutters and external venetian blinds –automatically adjusts to the right position at the right moment, keeping your home from 4 to 7°C** cooler during heatwaves. You can reach out to a certified Somfy installers to help you choose and install the right automated, motorised solution for you – including adding Amy® sun protect io along with your sun protection.

How exactly does automated sun protection help during heatwaves?

"If you forget to close the shutters (especially if you're away), you won't walk into a sauna.” Marie

"I don't have to worry about closing the shutters myself when the heat starts to rise. In a large house, that's real benefit.“ Philip

Amy® sun protect io offers intuitive settings like up, down, stop and my favourite position. But it’s also much more than a wall switch. It makes your motorised Somfy sun protection smart by choosing the right time to lower it before the room gets too hot. With an embedded indoor temperature sensor and onboard intelligence, the smart device anticipates and caps heat peaks to lower your sun protection at the right moment for a more comfortable indoor temperature – without you having to think about it.

How does it work?

Amy® sun protect io measures the indoor temperature every 15 minutes. The onboard intelligence analyses the temperature change within the room. If the temperature increase analysis predicts future thermal discomfort, Amy® sun protect io will automatically send a “down” order to your motorised sun protection.

Is Amy® sun protect io complicated to install and activate? 

It is easy for professional installer to add it at the same time as your Somfy motorised sun protection. It requires no extra effort and there’s nothing else to do. Once installed, simply activate the ‘sun protect’ function – by moving the toggle to right – and forget about it.

The exact closure position will depend on your type of sun protection:

• For roller shutters and exterior blinds, closure is +80% compared to the open position
• For external venetian blinds, the slats lower a 45% angle to maintain visual comfort with some natural light still coming into the room

For safety reasons, Amy® sun protect io will never open the sun protection if it is closed.

You don’t want to automate your sun protection? Push the toggle to the left to deactivate the “sun protect” function. 

Can you still control your sun protection yourself and decide when you want the coverings to lower?

“I was worried that the shutters might close unexpectedly and that I wouldn’t have full control. But it’s actually very easy to choose whether you want to automate the protection or control it manually.” Max

With Amy® sun protect io, you decide when you do or don’t want to use the ‘sun protect’ function. When the function is deactivated, you can manually control your window covering at any moment using the wall switch.

What’s more,when ‘sun protect’ is activated, the device has been designed to avoid unwanted activations. It will only lower your sun protection when necessary to prevent the room getting too hot.  It is recommended to deactivate the automatic “sun protect” function during winter or when you don’t need it.

Do you need to add anything else to make Amy® sun protect io work?

No, the device provides native automation to the window covering, thanks to an embedded indoor temperature sensor and onboard intelligence. Simply slide the toggle on the wall switch to activate the ‘sun protect’ function for automation during heatwaves.

Does Amy® sun protect io work with all kinds of window coverings?

Amy® sun protect io is designed to work with most Somfy motorised sun protection products. You can choose the roller shutters or exterior blinds that suit your needs – just make sure you check compatibility first. The device is easy for your professional installer to add when installing your motorised sun protection.

Can you adjust the temperature at which your sun protection is lowered?

“I’m not very good in hot weather. I’d like my shutters to come down sooner to keep the room at a temperature that’s comfortable for me.”  Tracy

If you don’t mind the heat, you may find that your sun protection lowers too early. Alternatively, if you’re more sensitive, you may find it’s a little late. In both cases, you can adjust the temperature threshold on Amy® sun protect io. There are 5 sensitivity levels. By default, Amy® sun protect io is set at level 3. Choose level 1 or 2 to have your sun protection lower sooner for a cooler temperature or go up to level 4 or 5 if you want your sun protection to come down later – as you can handle heat.

How can you further enhance your thermal comfort?

“If you're in the room, you'll probably want to adjust the % of closure.” David

"I'd like to be able to increase the opening, because there's a tree in front of our window, so I need to go from 80% to 50%, otherwise we won't have enough light." Nina

Using Amy® sun protect io in combination with TaHoma® switch optimises your thermal comfort – and energy savings – all year. Somfy’s smart home solution provides access to advanced automation: you can control all your connected equipment individually or collectively and create automated customisable scenes. Amy’s indoor temperature sensor feeds the pre-set Thermal Comfort scene in the TaHoma® app with additional data to further optimise your thermal comfort and improve energy efficiency,

To be more precise, this scene can also be complemented with outdoor data, for example with the sunlight sensor built-in the RS100 solar panel, or by adding an outdoor sun sensor. The Thermal Comfort scene uses this data to improve energy efficiency, optimise thermal and even visual comfort.

Multiple choices and ways to increase thermal comfort

It’s never been easier to adapt the level of automation and type of motorised sun protection to meet your needs – from simple to advanced, scalable solutions. By combining  Amy® sun protect io with TaHoma® switch, you can achieve maximum thermal comfort and energy efficiency. It goes without saying that you always have the option of controlling your devices manually to adjust your sun protection yourself whenever you want. Contact a certified installer to find out more and personalise your solution.

* Analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

** Maximum temperature compared to a house not equipped with sun protection. TBC study for the French Building Federation: Analysis of the energy contribution of roller shutters normative & regulatory study, 2010.

***Compared to manual solutions. Somfy simulations implemented with the support of Carbone 4. Depending on a house’s size, geolocation, year of construction, window equipment (roller shutter, EVB), 2021.