Solar Screen Shades

At Ross Howard Designs serving the greater Dallas area, our customers often ask us about whether solar screen shades are right for them. There are a lot of benefits to solar screen shades, to talk to a trained consultant about your needs, and read on to learn more.

How to Select the Perfect Solar Screen Shade for Your Home

Screen shades, also known as solar shades, are the perfect blend of design and science. The screen used in these shades controls heat and light, allowing a lower percentage of both to enter the room. With most fabrics, you also maintain your view of the outdoors when looking through the screen.

How Do Solar Screen Shades Block the Sun but Not the View?

Hunter Douglas Designer Screen Shades are available in a wide variety of colors, styles, and openness factors to meet almost any criteria. “Openness” refers to how much you are able to see through the shade. The higher the openness factor, the larger the weave of the fabric. So, a fabric with an openness factor of 10% will allow more light and heat to pass through while giving you more view-through versus a fabric with an openness factor of 5%. There are darker-colored fabrics, light-colored fabrics, and performance fabrics. Each fabric controls glare, heat, and natural light and provides UV protection.

What Are Performance Fabrics?

Performance solar screen fabrics are designed to outperform light and dark fabrics when a project requires excellent heat control, glare control, UV protection, and view-through characteristics. The following fabrics in the Designer Screen Shade collection are rated as “performance” fabrics:

• Chill 5%
• Flux 5%
• Defy 3%
• Radiant 5%

Special features built into these performance fabrics include a highly reflective exterior regardless of the room-side color.

Light-Colored Fabrics Versus Dark-Colored Fabrics

• Light-colored fabrics reflect more heat and allow more light into the room versus a dark-colored fabric. Light-colored fabrics are an excellent choice for providing more light when windows are small and in common areas where a lighter, brighter ambiance is desired.
• Dark fabrics are excellent at controlling the glare by reducing the visible light that comes through the fabric. The darker fabrics will absorb some heat and keep it at the window until the warmth dissipates into your room. Darker fabrics are perfect for spaces where you will enjoy slight solar warming while still providing glare control.

What Are Solar Optical Properties?

Most Designer Screen Shade fabrics carry distinct solar optical properties that will distinguish the fabric from others and will help you in deciding if the roller shade fabric is right for your home or business. There are a number of elements that make up the solar optical properties, including:

• (Ts) Solar Transmittance—this is the amount of total solar energy that passes through the shade fabric into a room. The larger the number, the higher the amount of solar energy that is entering the space.
• (Rs) Solar Reflectance—this is the amount of solar energy/heat that is reflected away from the window back outside. The higher the number, the better the fabric is at reflecting solar heat. Light-colored fabrics will reflect more light.
• (As) Solar Absorption—this is the absorption of light and heat. This is what heats up shade fabric. A low number means the shade absorbs very little solar energy, which allows heat into your space.
• (Tv) Visible Light Transmittance—this is the amount of visible light that comes through the glass and fabric. The higher the number, the less light that passes through the fabric.
  Designer Screen Shades from Hunter Douglas offer high-performance fabrics. These fabrics go above and beyond standard screen fabrics with enhanced glare, solar, and natural light control while providing UV protection.

Solar Shades in Dallas, Fort Worth TX and Surrounding Areas

Ross Howard Designs has been a Dallas area leader in Hunter Douglas window coverings, interior design, and wallpaper since 1981. We offer personalized service you’ll only find with a locally owned store. Stop by our newly expanded Hunter Douglas Gallery location to see over 70 functional window covering displays, including the latest in Platinum technology automation systems. The professional designers at Ross Howard are committed to bringing you the latest styles, current trends, and innovative technologies.

For more expert information on window treatments, or for a free in-store consultation, give us a call today – 972-490-0088. When you stop by our showroom make sure you ask us for a free design book.