What kind if blinds would you recommend? (Austin, Pflugerville: house, cost)

[Carpdiem]

Just bought my house and thinking about what would be the best option for blinds... Considering austin weather... What do u guys recommend? Faux wood blinds or solar screens? Or tinting windows??

Thanks!!!

[atxcio]

If you are going to do solar screens or tinting, that would be in addition to blinds inside. You would still wan them for privacy and when you are out of the house on a hot day. On the blinds, it's really just your preference and budget.

Also, if you are an Austin Energy customer (in the city or in one of their service areas), you qualify for rebates on the solar film or solar screen (among many other things): Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Rebate

We have a bunch of windows facing southwest, so we went with solar screens from Dan White's Screens and Things in SW Austin:
Dan White's Screens & Things

[Carpdiem]

Originally Posted by atxcio

If you are going to do solar screens or tinting, that would be in addition to blinds inside. You would still wan them for privacy and when you are out of the house on a hot day. On the blinds, it's really just your preference and budget.

Also, if you are an Austin Energy customer (in the city or in one of their service areas), you qualify for rebates on the solar film or solar screen (among many other things): Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Rebate

We have a bunch of windows facing southwest, so we went with solar screens from Dan White's Screens and Things in SW Austin:
Dan White's Screens & Things

House will be in pflugerville falcon pointe black hawk area, does austin energy service there?

[JT-3]

We recently ordered Levolor metal blinds from blinds.com - we wanted something durable and low profile. When I over tightened one, they sent a replacement for free so I will be ordering more in the future.

[salmuabe]

I like faux wood blinds; they won't warp in the humidity and are sturdy. In Pflugerville, you have your choice of electric service providers (Reliant, TXU, etc.) Austin Energy is not one of those choices, as they only provide service within the Austin city limits.

[AustinTx78660]

Originally Posted by Carpdiem

House will be in pflugerville falcon pointe black hawk area, does austin energy service there?

No. You get to chose your energy supplier. I found this Website to be a good resource to chose from the over 200 different plans and providers that are looking to win your business:

Power To Choose | Home

You can easily waste in excess of $1,000/year by choosing the wrong supplier, so spend some time on reading up on options, surcharges, etc. Overall, the "free market" options you get outside of Austin are not generally cheaper than what Austin Energy charges, and I find Austin Energy to be much better in supporting customers with rebates, incentives and other efforts that help home owners reduce power consumption. Some providers supply free NEST thermostats with some plans, and some suppliers have rebates and other incentives for energy saving items, but it takes research and might bind you to a more expensive plan in some cases.

As to your blinds question, I am very happy with my plantation style blinds (example below), but they cost more than most other options. They allow for great heat and light control though, and they look great, people comment on them all the time when they come to visit my house.

[sloppymeg]

Originally Posted by AustinTx78660

As to your blinds question, I am very happy with my plantation style blinds (example below), but they cost more than most other options. They allow for great heat and light control though, and they look great, people comment on them all the time when they come to visit my house.

Love mine as well. We purchased these (from Budget Blinds) to replace those honeycomb/cellular shades that did NOTHING to keep the heat out.

The plantation shutters were installed in the fall, but so far have been AWESOME! I have no doubt they will keep the heat out of my western-facing bedroom!

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

The only drawback I see in blinds is they are a pain to keep the dust off. However, if you have someone clean your home it won't matter.