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!

In February 2007 Southern Hemisphere, a California dealer for Trico, finished their installation of six shade sails at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana California. The system is made up of various size triangular sails and two different colors. The system was designed to increase visibility as well as add a relaxing seating area for visitors. The museum curator wanted a shade system that would add a sense of inspiration with a touch of elegance.

The news of the one month delay of the next shuttle launch is probably the most expensive single hail event in history .  This should serve as a wake up call to auto dealers and anyone else who wants to protect property from this common weather event.  Click here to see hail seasonality from 2006.

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.

This weekend the first hailstorms marched across the south. There were 102 reports of damaging winds and large hail.  In 2006 hail caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage during the April and May storms in areas widespread across the continental United States causing insurance premiums and deductibles to rise.  In San Marcos, Texas alone, damage was over $100 million.   The recent storms are warnings to auto dealers and insurance companies.  New car dealers face big losses through damage to vehicles and higher insurance costs but also through business interruption, especially those dealing in imported vehicles.  Luckily, there are hail protection solutions available!