Solar Shades Reduce Energy Costs and More

Saving money on the cost of cooling our homes can be a challenge when hot, sunny days increase our dependence on air conditioning. According to Consumer Reports, "Americans spend more than $22 billion a year...to cool their homes with air conditioning" (July 2008). Reducing our need to turn on the home cooling system is possible with the easy and affordably priced addition of solar window shades, also known as sun shades, to our windows and patio doors.

Solar shades are quite different from standard window shades and offer numerous advantages that go beyond lowering home cooling costs. Sun shades are constructed using a specially designed, breathable fabric that allows light and air to filter through. Sun shades are not black-out shades, but they do reduce the amount of direct sunlight that streams in through a home's windows and doors. Unlike interior window shades, solar shades are installed on the exterior of a home's windows or doors. This prevents up to 75% of sunlight from penetrating the window and abundantly reduces the heat transfer. Solar shades can decrease the temperature of a room by up to 25%, making the indoor environment inviting and pleasant, even on the hottest summer days.

Sun shades successfully keep our homes cool, thereby saving us money on air conditioning costs and protecting our indoor belongings from the ruinous effects of the sun's ultra-violet (UV) rays. Over time, UV rays will discolor, fade, and crack many of the belongings we keep in our homes. Fabrics, furniture, upholstery, carpets, paintings, and more are damaged by exposure to sunlight. Damage increases over time, too, so the more sun exposure our home interiors experience, the more our personal possessions will suffer the effects. The specialized fabric in solar shades can block up to 90% of the sun's UV rays and protect our interior spaces.

In addition to being breathable and able to block significant amounts of UV rays, sun shades are simple to keep up; they are weather resistant, mildew resistant, and can be maintained easily with mild soap and warm water. Sun shades offer the benefit of privacy, as well. The breathable fabric allows us to see out of the windows and doors, but neighbors and passers-by are unable to see into the home.

Lower expenses on air conditioning costs would be reason enough to install solar window shades on our homes, but the additional benefits described here -- protection of interior furnishings from UV rays, easy maintenance, and privacy -- make sun shades an even more attractive home improvement option.