Tricoshade Blog

Vela Canopies, our DYI residential shade canopy line that one can buy online, are featured in the March 2007 issue of The Family Handyman, in a 6 page article entitled: Shade Your Deck! The subtitle is: Shelter a small spot or your whole deck - we review the options, costs, pros and cons.

 The article covers 7 options: our Canopy Awnings (our two-post model), pergolas, retractable awnings, portable canopies, trees, and sunshades, and retractable canopies. Tricoshade is the first option in the article, and there is a nice picture of one of our cream colored Canopies.

The Family Handyman is a Reader’s Digest publication with a readership of over 1 million and we are exciting about being featured so prominently and positively in it!

The results of a new study about the effect of awnings on homeowners’ energy costs has just been released.  The study, entitled Awnings in Residential Buildings: The Impact on Energy Use and Peak Demand, was conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Building Research.

In a nutshell, the study proves that the use of awnings and canopies  can significantly reduce energy costs. For example, in Sacramento, the energy savings for residences can be as high as 43 - 48% for West facing windows.  The energy savings for 7 other cities can be found here.

Anyone who is interested in reducing energy costs for their homes in summer can check out our residential canopy awnings at our online shop.