Energy Savings with Solar Screens
Do solar screens really make a difference?
That is a common question we hear. To answer that I’ll discuss a 1988 Austin, Texas study* that tested several common window treatments to see which yielded the greatest annual energy savings. Here’s are some things the study found:
Best Window Strategies for Annual Energy Savings
- Best Available Solar Screens
- Draperies/Curtains
- Reflective Film
- Operable blinds left closed
How much energy is saved with solar screens?
- Annual energy cost savings: 10-14%
- Summer time energy cost savings: 20-30%
What makes solar screens the #1 Option? Device Management
Solar Screens allow strategic control of heat through windows. During our long cooling season (May through September) solar screens deliver significant savings by reflecting and absorbing as much as 90% (when used with double pane, insulated glass) of solar heat before it reaches the inside.
Conversely, in the limited Texas Winter, solar screens can be removed to allow beneficial solar heat gain. The net effect of solar screens used properly is reduced cooling energy costs in the summer and reduced heating energy costs in winter.
Every house is unique due to it’s orientation, number and quality of windows, number and size of trees, and proximity to other buildings, but top quality solar screens will result in energy savings if used properly.
* Pletzer, Randy, Jones, Jerold, Hunn, Bruce, PhD. “Effect of Shading Devices on Residential Energy Use in Austin, Texas.” Center for Energy Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 1998.
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