Is "awning" a familiar word in your vocabulary? If so, that's likely because of the awnings you've seen in your local business district, or perhaps on the more ornate houses in your city. Awnings add a bright element of personality to a building, cause people to give a home a second glance. But they serve a more functional turn as well. The fact is, there are more practical and more compelling reasons that an increasing number of property managers and home owners are having retractable awnings installed. In short order, here is a summary of three main reasons that you may want to take a look at the residential awnings market as well.

Your house could gain from awnings if...

1. You have a balcony, deck, patio, or other outside area that feels like the Sahara when the sun comes up. A lot of home owners design outdoor spaces for their houses, visualizing cool afternoons in the breeze, relaxed grill sessions, and energized play times with the kids. Sadly, a lot of people fail to take a central factor into consideration: the sun. When wood and concrete spaces are caught in the direct sunlight without any protection, they become about as people-friendly as a midday desert, and the vision for a great, multi-use, outdoor area never gets realized (except in the momentary cool at mornings and evenings). Sweat and scorching rays don't make for relaxation.

If this describes your yard, you'll find that retractable awnings may be the missing link in your outdoor ecosystem. Awnings tackle the sun and tame it so you can fully enjoy the outdoor areas that you invested time and money in. With awnings in place, you'll be able to take advantage of your back yard's amenities at any hour of the day and in any type of weather, short of a violent storm. If you want shade, voila. If you want to work on your tan, presto. Retractable awnings can be lowered and retracted in less than a minute.

2. Uncontrolled sunlight often overheats the interior of your home. Do you often find yourself pulling blinds to cool off a room? Does direct light from the windows have a tendency to bleach your home's furnishings? If you install awnings over your windows, you'll benefit in several ways: First, you'll be able to stop lowering your blinds, which will give your rooms a more open, inviting atmosphere. Second, you'll save your furniture and walls from getting bleached out by the sun. Third, you'll save significantly on utility bills, since studies by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers show that awnings can lower interior temperatures in your home by 15 degrees and save you over 30 percent on air conditioning costs.

3. You could use some additional living space in your house. While awnings are often installed on second and third-story windows, perhaps their most primary use happens in the ground level situations. Since modern awnings can be as large as 14 feet deep and 30 feet wide, investing in a full size awning expands the living space of a home into the outdoors. Some home (and business) owners use retractable awnings to extend the colors and vibes of their interiors outside, creating in effect, outdoor rooms. That means more room to entertain, relax, and talk. With a low initial cost and simple installation, awnings are a smart way to add to your home's hospitality potential, livability, and resale value. They don't require architects or building permit to install, but they are easily customized to match the existing look and feel of your house.

These are a handful of the first tier reason that home owners are starting to invest in retractable awnings. Does your house seem like a candidate? If so, there's more to consider, because awnings have a second tier of benefits as well.