PERGOLUX Launches Motorised Retractable Awnings

Oct 7, 2026

New motorised awning brings exterior shade, integrated lighting and DIY-friendly installation to UK homes as government policy puts greater focus on year-round thermal comfort.

Britain built homes for keeping heat in. Now record heat is turning external shade into a home-overheating solution.

After a summer that has repeatedly rewritten Britain's temperature records, award-winning outdoor living brand PERGOLUX is betting exterior shade will become a more important home upgrade as households look for practical ways to deal with hotter weather without taking on a major renovation.

“British homes have traditionally been designed around retaining warmth, but hotter summers are changing the problem homeowners need to solve,” says Ammar Nova, “You shouldn't necessarily need a major building project to make an existing home and patio more comfortable or cost-effective to cool in summer.”

PERGOLUX, whose pergola systems have been purchased by more than 100,000 customers globally, has expanded beyond its core pergolas in the UK with the PERGOLUX Awning, a motorised full-cassette awning that launched Aug. 17 with promotional pricing starting at £999.

UK Climate Adaptation and Warm Homes Plan for Managing Residential Overheating through Passive Cooling

England also recorded its warmest June on record at 17.1°C mean temperature. By July 10, the UK national meteorological service had recorded a record eight days above 34°C, and 2026 became the first year on record to hit at least 35°C in May, June and July.

The issue is moving beyond weather headlines and into housing policy. Britain has traditionally focused on winter warmth and energy efficiency. The government's 2026 Warm Homes Plan now acknowledges the opposite problem: homes that become dangerously hot during summer.

The plan identifies sun shade as means to reduce indoor temperatures and meet cooling demand. Research cited by the government found external shading combined with night ventilation reduced indoor temperatures by 11–18°C in a heat-vulnerable London flat.

“Air conditioning isn't the only answer to hotter homes,” says Nova. “One of the simplest principles is stopping direct sun before it heats the space in the first place.”

Reducing Indoor Temperatures by up to 10°C with External Shading and Low Cost Home Retrofitting

The UK government acknowledges high upfront costs can put home upgrades out of reach for many households. They note lower-cost, low-regret interventions will have an important role in adapting existing housing.

When mounted above a door or large window, the PERGOLUX Awning can shade window glass and the patio below, reducing direct solar exposure and glare inside adjoining rooms. The company says its internal testing found temperatures directly underneath the awning can be up to 10°C cooler.

The system includes:

UPF 50+ AuroWeave fabric that blocks more than 98% of UV radiation
Adjustable 5° to 25° pitch to address lower afternoon and evening sun
Motorised extension and retraction with manual backup
Integrated dimmable LED lighting
Full-cassette construction that encloses the fabric and mechanics when retracted
Optional wind sensor for automatic retraction
A mounting system designed for two-person home installation

PERGOLUX says the product is designed to give homeowners a smaller point of entry than a full outdoor structure while still addressing both patio comfort and solar exposure at doors and windows.

Award Winning Scandinavian Engineering for Accessible and DIY-Friendly British Home Improvements

PERGOLUX built its business around modular pergola systems designed to make larger outdoor structures easier for homeowners to purchase and assemble. Its pergolas have received global design recognition including Red Dot and iF Design Awards.

But not every home or homeowner needs, or can afford, a full pergola.

“We saw an opportunity to take what we've learned from more than 100,000 customers in climates around the world and solve a related problem with a simpler product,” says Ammar.

“For some homeowners, the priority is simply getting adjustable shade over an existing patio or opening without the cost of a full structure or stress of a major building project.”

The expansion also brings PERGOLUX's direct-to-consumer approach into a more familiar product category. The awning is available in widths from two to six metres and can be wall- or ceiling-mounted across a range of common UK building materials.

Water-Protective Aluminium Construction, UPF 50+ Protection, Integrated LED Lighting Features

While the PERGOLUX Awning may resemble other retractable awnings already on the UK market, the company says its design differences are concentrated in materials, mechanical construction and built-in functionality.

A corrosion-resistant 6063-T5 aluminium full cassette protects the fabric and mechanism when retracted.
Plastic-coated 304 stainless-steel arm cables are designed to reduce metal-on-metal noise.
The arms have been tested through more than 3,000 opening and closing cycles.
Integrated dimmable COB LEDs eliminate the need for separate patio lighting.
Remote-controlled motorised operation includes a manual hand crank for power outages.
The fabric uses 280g PU-coated polyester with UPF 50+ protection.
The product carries a 10-year warranty.

“We're competing on the whole ownership experience, not simply whether an awning creates shade. That means how it looks on the house, how quietly it operates, how easy it is to install and how well the components are protected from British weather when it isn't being used,” says Ammar Nova.

Building Year Round Thermal Comfort in Existing UK Housing Stock

The launch comes as the UK begins broadening the way it thinks about residential climate adaptation.

England's building regulations already require new residential buildings to limit unwanted solar gains and provide a way to remove excess heat. The government's Warm Homes Plan now puts greater emphasis on adapting the country's existing housing stock as well, including through passive cooling and shading measures.

For PERGOLUX, that shift drives the brand’s expansion beyond the pergola market to make exterior shade a more accessible part of more homes.

The PERGOLUX Awning is available to UK customers at https://pergolux.co.uk/products/awning.

About PERGOLUX

PERGOLUX is an award-winning outdoor living brand specialising in modern pergolas, shade systems, and modular outdoor structures. Rooted in Norwegian engineering and Scandinavian design, the company serves more than 100,000 customers globally with products focused on durable engineering and simplified assembly. In the United Kingdom, PERGOLUX supports homeowners from its office in Oxford, helping to improve residential thermal comfort across the British climate.

Sources:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2026/englands-warmest-june-on-record--the-second-warmest-for-the-uk-and-wales-
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/summer-2026-so-far-a-look-at-the-season-at-the-halfway-point-
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/deep-dive-how-does-june-2026-compare-with-the-summer-of-1976
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-homes-plan/warm-homes-plan-html
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overheating-approved-document-o