Solar Screens vs. Tinted Windows: personal conclusions (Houston, Spring: fit in, leasing)

[tstone]

Originally Posted by mikeyyc

It's good to note that you can't use a film if you have double pane windows.

Solar screens are your only option at that point.

No one will stop you if you want to use the film. But if there is any warranty on the windows, you'll void it. Usually the term is 10 years. Now if the film company offers a 5 year in place of it, you've nullified half of the warranty. Also check for any gaps or exceptions during the 5 years you're actually covered. Warranty legalese is a mess.

Behtypa you can add #5 to the money-saving list. Those Bali cellular shades from the big orange or blue box actually work quite well at keeping the heat and cold out. It's up to you if you like that sort of contemporary style.

[milrtime83]

Originally Posted by tstone

Thanks for reviving this thread. I've had solar screens on now for a year and notice that it does actually save around 10% in the winter on gas + electric. Compare to about 20% in the summer. So it is somewhat of an insulator, at least in my case.

Interesting, I would think taking the screens off to let more sun through in the winter would be more of a benefit than the little insulation it would provide leaving them up.

[ethanw]

I have Champions double pane windows with 5 years warranty of the seal ONLY. No window company will cover accidental craks or any of that external damage. I never heard of 10 years warranty on double pane windows. Check your builder contract.

A reputable tint film company will replace the factory warranty with an identical one for for the same ammount of time. You must get the warranty from the film company and not the installer shop. And that's what diferentiate the big dogs from the small ones. HuperOptik is one of the reputable one.

We really need to provide accurate advice so people can make educated decisions. Of course listening to multiple people is very good as well as long you get out the accurate information.

Originally Posted by tstone

No one will stop you if you want to use the film. But if there is any warranty on the windows, you'll void it. Usually the term is 10 years. Now if the film company offers a 5 year in place of it, you've nullified half of the warranty. Also check for any gaps or exceptions during the 5 years you're actually covered. Warranty legalese is a mess.

Behtypa you can add #5 to the money-saving list. Those Bali cellular shades from the big orange or blue box actually work quite well at keeping the heat and cold out. It's up to you if you like that sort of contemporary style.

[tstone]

Pella Window Warranties | Pella.com (http://www.pella.com/windows/explore-window-styles/pella-warranty.aspx?PCode=VSHW&StyleID=4&PType=window - broken link)

Window warranty comparison - Milgard Windows and Doors

Andersen Windows | Warranties for your Windows and Patio Doors

[ethanw]

Hmm, thanks. Very interesting and different than what I was told by my home builder. Time to get on the phone with them... This is what I have in my house.

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Originally Posted by tstone

Pella Window Warranties | Pella.com (http://www.pella.com/windows/explore-window-styles/pella-warranty.aspx?PCode=VSHW&StyleID=4&PType=window - broken link)

Window warranty comparison - Milgard Windows and Doors

Andersen Windows | Warranties for your Windows and Patio Doors

[tstone]

Originally Posted by ethanw

Hmm, thanks. Very interesting and different than what I was told by my home builder. Time to get on the phone with them... This is what I have in my house.

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That may be a builder vs window company thing. Perhaps the builder takes care of it for the first 5 years, then afterwards it's on the window company.

Thanks for the link ; I'd never heard of Champion. I'm trying to get engineering spec sheets on as many brands as possible to find a balance point between efficiency, attenuation and price. Replacing the 16 yr old standard crap that was blasted by Ike. The seals have been getting weaker every year since the hurricane on only the back yard windows, probably due to a tornado that tore up the back yard. I thought the house was unscathed but weakened window seals became apparent the next year. Solar screens actually do serve as a temporary fix until the windows go in, and at that point I'll just keep the screens for security reasons.

[ethanw]

I will be more than happy to share my experience with you and please contact me offline. I've done a lot research and I have some good scientific data to share with you. I made measurements around electricity consumption and room temperature before and after puting the tint. My overall bill went down by almost 35% after the tint which is not bad. The temperature in various rooms also droped by 4F to 5F which is pretty significant.

I paid $7 /SF for Huper Optik Ceramic 40 & 30 which is a very good price when usually goes for $9 or $10. Most of the other films are subpar in my opinion and Huper has been in business for 30 years or so.
I am also getting about $900 back from IRS which does have a 30% tax break for energy savings things like this.

Originally Posted by tstone

That may be a builder vs window company thing. Perhaps the builder takes care of it for the first 5 years, then afterwards it's on the window company.

Thanks for the link ; I'd never heard of Champion. I'm trying to get engineering spec sheets on as many brands as possible to find a balance point between efficiency, attenuation and price. Replacing the 16 yr old standard crap that was blasted by Ike. The seals have been getting weaker every year since the hurricane on only the back yard windows, probably due to a tornado that tore up the back yard. I thought the house was unscathed but weakened window seals became apparent the next year. Solar screens actually do serve as a temporary fix until the windows go in, and at that point I'll just keep the screens for security reasons.

[behtypa]

Guys, last summer I have starter this thread. And my conclusions have change since then.

Initially I believed that TSER 70 tinting film (blocking around 70 of radiant heat) - which is most common for house applications - is enough to keep your house cool during Texas summer.

I WAS WRONG.

The rooms do not heat as much as before. But windows are still warm enough to heat the air inside.

To keep it 90% cool from the outside sun, I installed solar screens on windows facing South. Boy, it is much better now!

Now I have 2 layers: tint inside and sun screens outside. The visibility is OK, no complaints.

MY ADVISE TO YOU: INSTALL SOLAR SCREENS FOR SOUTHERN EXPOSURE. DON'T WAIST MONEY ON TINT.

Even expensive TSER 80-90 ceramic tint will get heat trough. It is simple physics: The tint cant' block the heat because it is stock to the window from the inside. The screens can. Because they are outside. They block sun rays before they reach your window. They do not touch window and hence do not conduct heat.

I recently heard the same conclusions from the energy savings guy from evance Installations (the company that does energy audits).

FOR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS GO WITH SCREENS. PERIOD.

FOR LOOKS, PRIVACY ISSUE YOU MIGHT GO WITH THE TINT.

Now, with a tint and screens I can afford to run JUST 1 air conditioner on 2nd floor! It is enough to keep an entire house (3000 sq ft) within 2-3 degrees. Say, I set 76F on the 2nd floor, the 1st floor has 78-79F. And I did not insulate the attic!

[ethanw]

Yes and No

I don't have the south situation but rather strong sun from west all afternoon. I used ceramic 30 and 40 and it made a tremendous difference and I have objective data to back it up. All I know that solar screens really impairs the view from inside the house and with film you get the best of both worlds. If you don't care about view then screen is OK.... All I am trying to say is that tint works, maybe not as effective as the screen but it works very well.
Go to TintDude.com - Window Tinting and really educate yourself, a lot of good expertise and dialog there.

Originally Posted by behtypa

Guys, last summer I have starter this thread. And my conclusions have change since then.

Initially I believed that TSER 70 tinting film (blocking around 70 of radiant heat) - which is most common for house applications - is enough to keep your house cool during Texas summer.

I WAS WRONG.

The rooms do not heat as much as before. But windows are still warm enough to heat the air inside.

To keep it 90% cool from the outside sun, I installed solar screens on windows facing South. Boy, it is much better now!

Now I have 2 layers: tint inside and sun screens outside. The visibility is OK, no complaints.

MY ADVISE TO YOU: INSTALL SOLAR SCREENS FOR SOUTHERN EXPOSURE. DON'T WAIST MONEY ON TINT.

Even expensive TSER 80-90 ceramic tint will get heat trough. It is simple physics: The tint cant' block the heat because it is stock to the window from the inside. The screens can. Because they are outside. They block sun rays before they reach your window. They do not touch window and hence do not conduct heat.

I recently heard the same conclusions from the energy savings guy from evance Installations (the company that does energy audits).

FOR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS GO WITH SCREENS. PERIOD.

FOR LOOKS, PRIVACY ISSUE YOU MIGHT GO WITH THE TINT.

Now, with a tint and screens I can afford to run JUST 1 air conditioner on 2nd floor! It is enough to keep an entire house (3000 sq ft) within 2-3 degrees. Say, I set 76F on the 2nd floor, the 1st floor has 78-79F. And I did not insulate the attic!

[allappliance]

Originally Posted by behtypa

I have spent time comparing the two options and here is the conclusions I have made so far:

Solar screens

Pros:
- Inexpensive (40-80 dollars a screen or less)
- Efficient for high sun trajectory (i.e. on summer)
- Can be a do-it-yourself project
- Simple to install and remove

Cons:
- looks tacky (if not say ugly) from the outside, the (white) frame often stands out and makes the house look less attaractive
- distorts the outside view, sometimes makes it hard to see outside
- can be torn by the storm/hurricane
- Less efficient for low sun trajectory (i.e. during winter)

Film tint
Pros:
- Good solar rejection tool (TSER as high as 80). Efficient for any sun trajectory (summer, winter, etc.)
- Looks great and practically invisible from the outside
- most quality tints do not fade or turn blue (only rare cases and after 10-15 years)
- they do not distort the view
- they are installed from the inside, and they easily survive any storm hurricane. Additionally films and their adhesive actually make a window stronger and more shatter-proof. (say, 2 times better than the regular single-pane). They are however not as shatter-proof as hurricane windows.

Cons:
- Expensive (100-200 dollars a window, normally $5-12 a sq.ft. depending on a brand. I.e. Huper Optics Ceramic with 85 TSER would be as high as $12-14 per sq.ft. and Suntek would be as low as $4 per sq.ft.)
- can be reflective (like a mirror)
- Most quality films (and not cheap-os sold at the Homedepot) are not sold to individuals, only to distributors or certified installers. Suntek is one only exception I am aware of.
- Quality tint requires lots of experience, and hence can NOT be a do-it-yourself project
- Difficult to install and remove

Conclusions: IMO solar screens are a "poor man's friend". If you less than 1,000 dollars in your pocket, solar screens is a cheaper solution. If however a look of your house is more important and you have the $1.500 - 2,000 budget, go for the tint. It may last longer and will look much better on windows.

Here is an image with a tint and a screen. IMO the tint looks more natural.




In any case, if anyone of you is thinking to install it, now is a good time. And here is why:
- there is a 30% material (and not for labor) tax rebate till the end of 2010 for tints (not sure about solar screens)
- both, screen and tint installers have much less business in Fall-Winter period. Hence, they are willing to give you much better deals.

It's not an advertisement. Just my 0.02. I can give anyone more info on tints, since I have studied them quite a bit.

thanks for the great illustration and insight about solar screening. that is a great solution to minimize energy bills and health issues as well.