Solar Shades
Solar shades are a welcome edition to any professional setting. Our solar shades are custom made to fit your needs and provide a lot of benefits:
- UV protection
- Shades sun without blocking view
- Modern and sleek looking
- Energy efficient
- Reduces glare on electronic screens
When selecting which type of solar screen you want, there are a few factors to think about. The first is what is the purpose of the shade? Are you more interested in privacy or in reducing heat and light coming in from the sun? In order to get the type of shade you want, you need to understand some terminology.
"Openness" refers to how open or tight the weave of the shade’s fabric is. Solar shades are graded by the openness of the weave - the more open it is, the more light will come through. So a 1% Solar shade will have a tight weave that doesn’t allow a lot of natural light in.
A low number will reduce the glare on TV and computer screens but it will also make it difficult to see outside. If reducing glare is your goal, you will want to stay at 5% openness or less. Other benefits of having a low number Solar shade would be that the tight weaves blocks more UV light and keeps heat from coming in by reflecting it. This protects furniture and carpets from fading due to infiltrating UV light.
Another thing you will need to think about is the color of the shades. Obviously you will want to go with something that will fit the room, but different colors offer different benefits.
Dark Color Sun Shades
- Control glare more by absorbing more light
- Allow you to see outside better because the sun’s glare is reduced during the daytime
- Allows more privacy during the day
- Will reduce cooling costs, but not as much as a light color fabric because the dark color absorbs more heat, rather than reflecting it
- Offers less privacy at night because the lights inside the house are absorbed, not reflected
Light Color Sun Shades
- Reduce cooling costs because they reflect heat better
- Offer more privacy at night
- Reduce your ability to see outside during the day
- Will reduce glare from sunlight, but not as much as dark colors
Location is also key to selecting your blinds. You may select different blinds for different rooms. Take out a compass and determine which direction each of your windows face. Rooms facing north or south are exposed to less direct sunlight than rooms that face east or west. Maybe you have a breakfast nook that faces east into your backyard. Obviously, you don’t want to be blinded while sipping your morning coffee, but you would like to see out into your picturesque yard. Selecting a dark color with a medium to high openness factor would be perfect in that area. For rooms with electronic screens, like an office or a living room, the ideal choice would be a dark fabric that reduces glare, with a low openness percent. For upstairs room, such as your bedroom, light fabric allows for more privacy at night and a lower cooling bill. Heat may rise, but light colored Solar blinds will reflect more heat.
Regardless of what percent of openness you choose, or whether you go with a light or dark fabric, you will save on heating and cooling by installing Solar blinds. These blinds will allow you to live a more comfortable life, without the harsh glare and the worry about UV light harming your loved ones or your furniture.
Solar blinds are beautiful, easy to install, and a great addition to any room. Call us today at 757-265-1200 or email at aronya@windowcreations.net to find out how we can help you with your window decorating needs. We are a minority owned business, SwaM certified, and a Micro Certified business. We sell everything for your window but the view!