Anyone use Solar Window Screens or solar shades?

[decocritter]

How do they look and is it hard to see out with the screens? Wonder how the lighter colors look as opposed to the black ones.

I also wonder about the cost.

[cbelt3]

you mean window film ?

[Carm]

I have no idea what you are talking about. Unless you are referring to "black out curtains". They are about $15 a panel. They work great here in So Cal Desert. I put them up in June (East facing windows only) and keep them up till the heat dies down a bit. I have those and reflective "solar" tint on all my back windows year round. Cuts down the glare and keeps fabric roman shades from getting destroyed by the sun rays.

Joe

[cbelt3]

Carm... did you add the reflective tint after the fact ? I'm thinking about changing the dark 'limo film' I put on a large window on the western exposure of my house and switching to something more reflective. I realized I just basically built a big solar heater box when I put the damn stuff on .

[Carm]

I used a product from Gila Film:

GilaFilms wrote:
Energy Saving Platinum

Cuts cooling costs up to 50%
Contains a Low E coating to help retain winter heat
Helps reduce fading to interior furnishings
Rejects up to 99% of UV rays
Reduces glare
Available sizes:
2' x 15' – use for smaller windows
3' x 15' – covers 3 standard windows
4' x 15' - covers 3, 4' x 5' windows

I did it after the first summer living at my home. I knew the limo tint wouldn't work. Especially since it isn't reflective. The black out panels are just a summer thing. The living room windows get the pre noon sun... before the tint and shades, the living room was the warmest room in the house.
Joe Carm

[MGS_forgot_password]

I bought about $150 worth of stuff at Home Depot and made my own solar screens.

They are a bit more difficult to see through, but it's made a huge difference in the west-facing rooms that have them.

[M>B>]

I replaced the standard screen fabric with a tight weave solar screen fabric on my East and West windows to shade the windows in the morning and evening. The South windows have a good overhang.
Used something like this...

[decocritter]

M>B> wrote:
I replaced the standard screen fabric with a tight weave solar screen fabric on my East and West windows to shade the windows in the morning and evening. The South windows have a good overhang.
Used something like this...

Yes, I am talking about actual screens like this. The same fabric is also used for roll down shades.


Does it help MB ?

[M>B>]

Does it help MB ?

I made the change as soon as I moved in so I have no "before", but I am sure it helps! Also have white interior roll down shades to reflect out.

[davester]

From a heat flow perspective, there's a massive difference between what is sold as a solar screen and what is sold as a solar shade.

From my understanding, a solar screen is simply mesh with a certain percentage area of holes that simply blocks a large fraction of the light (including thermal infra-red) from hitting your window. It MUST be used outside the window. The mesh/hole ratio determines how much thermal IR it blocks. If it is a reflective color (i.e. noncolored aluminum then the solid part will block almost all the heat. If it is dark-colored, then the dark mesh will absorb heat and reradiate it (partly through your window) so will be less effective.

A solar shade goes inside the window and is simply a reflectorized surface that reflects some of the IR back out.. This is already a bit of a losing proposition, since it is much harder to get rid of heat once it has gotten through the window. They can be somewhat effective, but the shade is going to heat up and will then conduct heat directly into the room air. Film on the window would be better.

You could use both and still see advantages. It's not really an either/or proposition. The screen will block a certain amount of IR from ever hitting your window. The shade (or window film) will help reflect whatever IR makes it through.