Dealing with the excessive summer heat is getting more impossible, especially with rising temperatures in several parts of the world. You probably know that since you have come here hoping to find some relief against the heat.
Climate change has drastically changed the Earth’s landscape and its climates. Rising temperatures outdoors lead to hot, uncomfortable interiors. This situation results in increased use of the energy-consuming HVAC systems to maintain a regular, livable temperature in the house. That’s where solar shades step in. But what are solar shades and why are they so important?
What are Solar Shades?
Solar shades are a form of blinds or window protection with very densely connected fibers that make it difficult for sunlight to get inside through the windows. They are most commonly used in regions where the summer heat is intense and hot sunlight filters in through windows to heat the house.
Why Would You Need Solar Shades?
There are multiple reasons why you would need solar shades in your home based on their features.
1. Heat Protection
Due to the material type and quality of the solar shades, they can block out heat, preventing it from entering the house through the window. If you live in a hotter region, this feature will be incredibly helpful because it will keep your house from getting too hot.
It not only reduces the pressure on the cooling systems but also reduces the total amount of energy consumed to keep the house at desired temperature levels.
2. UV Protection
Solar shades are designed to withstand UV rays. UV rays are harmful and consistent contact with them can harm you and lead to the development of various health conditions. Solar shades reflect the UV rays into the sky, protecting people in the house.
3. Glare Reduction
Sunlight gives off an uncomfortable glare during the more intense periods of summer. Glare is harmful and disruptive for the eyes either directly or indirectly. It can also be extremely distracting for you.
4. Color Protection
The combination of intense heat and UV rays injects excess energy into products, changing the chemical composition of paint or color within them. The change eventually causes discoloration in the objects they interact with.
Just like with shingles, the heat entering through the window and interacting with rugs and furniture inside can cause things to lose their color.
Keeping solar shades involved will drastically reduce the amount of light entering and protect the decoration inside the house from the heat’s effects.
5. Privacy
Solar shades offer moderate levels of privacy during the day due to their basic structure. However, it depends entirely on the percentage of openness you choose from the available options. Solar shades typically come in 1%, 3%, 5%, and 14% openness.
The lower the percentage, the less visibility they provide to people outside. However, more privacy also comes with less light entry, so you should be careful when planning to install solar shades.
Types of Solar Shades
So far, we have answered “what are solar shades?” and covered the main benefits of having solar shades in your house, café, or organization. Now, let’s look at the main types of solar shades.
1. Interior Solar Shades
Interior solar shades have an open-weave reflective fabric. Therefore, they are proficient in reflecting the sun’s glare while allowing enough light in for you to have complete visibility of the outdoors during the day.
However, you should note that at night, the effect is reversed and while outsiders can see inside, you can’t see outside. This privacy issue can be solved easily by installing curtains.
2. Exterior Solar Shades
The exterior solar shades are placed on the outer but enclosed part of the house, like the patio. They directly interact with the sunlight, pushing back the heat and UV rays. Although both interior and exterior solar shades perform similar functions, exterior solar shades need a sturdier structure because they keep the heat out.
Heat protection requires them to be sturdy enough to withstand heat, and they are suitable for regions that are hot for most of the year. Without the correct design specifications, exterior solar shades would not be durable and depreciate quickly.
Difference between Roller Shades and Solar Shades
The traditional solution for the problem solar shades hope to solve is roller shades or blinds. While their primary function is privacy, roller shades were also used to regulate the house temperature and protect furniture from discoloration.
Key Differences
Below are some key differences between solar shades and roller shades:
1. Material
Solar shades are made out of open weave fabric, while roller shades are usually made out of translucent or fabrics, depending on how effective you want them to be.
2. Colors
Solar shades come in only a selected range of shades that are all black while the roller shades come in different colors. People who want extra privacy tend to opt for dark and opaque shades.
3. Visibility
Solar shades offer excellent visibility, especially in the case of interior shades. Roller shades provide good visibility for their translucent fabric materials; however, one can’t see through the more opaque and dark fabrics.
4. Privacy
Roller shades outperform solar shades in the privacy category, with their opaque models offering no chance for people outside to be able to look into your house. In contrast, while solar shades provide privacy, it is not on the same level as roller shades.
Our Final Thoughts
To sum up, solar shades are tools you can use to keep your residence safe from excessive heat and its associated distortions. We hope you enjoyed learning the answer to “what are solar shades?” and will look at our other blog posts to learn more about such products.
