Throwing Shade in Phoenix
As I write this it is January. In Phoenix that means we’re finally having nice weather: When much of the country is wiping snow off their windshields and stamping their boots to knock off slush before walking inside, we’re all smug and snug with our pleasant weather and tee-shirts in midwinter.
And Yet...
And yet.
And yet, not all is wonderful in the Valley of the Sun and we all know what is coming. In a few months’ time we’ll be back in triple-digit temperatures. When the rest of the country is finally emerging from hibernation we’ll be entering into our solar death furnace months; the news reporters will start frying eggs on the sidewalk and baking dashboard cookies, and we’ll all be seeking shade wherever we can find it.
Winter looks different depending on where you live.
How We Really Try to Escape the Sun
You know who you are, trying to hide behind a chain-link fence for the little shade the poles provide. I see you, parking next to a naked Palo Verde tree thinking there are a few degrees of relief to be had. Raise your hand if you’ve never stopped 15 feet shy of the stop line at a traffic light just so you can get an overpass or street sign to block the sun from your windshield. That’s what I thought.
Extending Your Ability to Be Outside
While you are unlikely to have a parasol with you at all times, you can take steps to make your business or home more comfortable and extend your ability to enjoy being outside by installing a shade solution. Midsummer is always going to be dangerously hot and there’s nothing to be done to refrigerate outdoors – when misters produce steam rather than useful mist you know it’s too hot – but there’s absolutely a case to be made for extending your outside-ability (yes, I just made that word up) during the months on either side of summer.
Shade Isn’t as Simple as It Seems
Installing shade seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Short of switching to a nocturnal schedule so you can avoid the yellow ball of doom, adding shade drops the felt temperature underneath it by 20 degrees or more.
However, just as with many things, there are several “right” ways to install shade and a myriad of “wrong” ways. The unfortunate reality is that the “wrong” ways can result in poor installations which run the risk of damaging people or property.
“…by installing a shade solution.”
Why We Do This
At the risk of sounding excessively commercial (and let me be clear, it’s a person writing this content and not AI of any sort), we would like to be your partners in cooling down outdoor areas for your business or home. As the founder and owner of Shadeworks AZ, it is my hope that I’ll be able to help you make the right choices about how to throw shade.
“When it’s too hot to be outside and it seems that nothing seems to help, Shade Works.”
