Sun Screens for your house.

Sun Screens: Saving energy in warm climates

ECOstrive – For those of you that live in warm climates (especially the sunny ones) where you use Air Conditioning to cool your house in the summer months, you probably already know how hot the inside of an unshaded window gets in the peak of the season. This is called “thermal transference”. Transferring all of that heat inside your house makes your AC work a lot harder. Solar screens are an easy way to reduce the amount of heat making its way into your house and keeping it cooler and more comfortable.

Sun (also called solar) screens usually consist of an external frame, covered with a mesh fabric, which allows some view-thru while blocking the sun’s rays. Some types reduce thermal transference significantly.

The U.S. Dept. of Energy says in its 1994 study, that shading the outside exposed windows or doors is the best way to stop heat build up. The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse says that roughly 40% of heat build-up and heat loss is through windows and doors. External shading is the most effective home treatment to counter these effects. Shading the exposed windows and doors can reduce temperatures by as much as 20 degrees. Window shadings such as indoor window film or blinds or insulated drapes do not block, reflect, or absorb the solar rays before they pass through the glass. The results are simple, heat builds up inside your home.

We installed solar screens the ECOstrive home in the desert last April and have experienced around a 30% reduction in our monthly electric bill. So, I am writing this article to show that our results are reducing our consumption of electricity and could help make your bills lower and help you conserve energy.

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