[ceylona]

Hi,

I haven't posted since I was still just thinking about moving here, but now that we are officially desert dwellers, I am thinking ahead for summer.

I have south facing windows in the front of the house, and even having arrived in the early fall we were amazed at how poorly cooled that side of the house felt compared with the rest. We are considering solar screens, or plantation shutters for those windows, and wondered at which would serve us better for heat control.

Can anyone share their experience please?

[airics]

depends on which direction the windows are.. North and East have no effect... South has some.. West has alot... I put solar screens on the West windows, my bill went down about 25. in the summer.. I also elected for the better ones.

As for shutters, i can't tell you much except my hoa would not allow them.

[ceylona]

Originally Posted by airics

depends on which direction the windows are.. North and East have no effect... South has some.. West has alot... I put solar screens on the West windows, my bill went down about 25. in the summer.. I also elected for the better ones.

As for shutters, i can't tell you much except my hoa would not allow them.

I want to do something about my south and west facing windows. I was referring to plantation shutters not the outside kind. I have heard those are supposed to be good for reflecting the sun and insulating. Since many of my neighbors have shutters I assume it must be OK with the HOA.

Thanks for your response

[Scott456]

why not plant some trees to provide some shade

[airics]

Originally Posted by Scott456

why not plant some trees to provide some shade

trees take water and TIME.

[Scott456]

there are drought resistent tress that need very little water.
yes, it takes time to grow trees, but if you don't plant now, you will never have grown trees.

[crazy_bd]

I have plantation shutters throughout the house. They really help to keep the temperatures down and look good too. Much better than solar screens imo, and easy to adjust from letting light in during the mornings to block the sun out in the afternoon/evening. Probably quite a bit more in price though.

[squishy506]

I don't have an answer for the OP, but I was wondering what the effect of having solar screen material on the inside of the windows would be. I'm thinking of putting some up like interior shades for the summer and taking them down in the winter.

[ceylona]

Originally Posted by squishy506

I don't have an answer for the OP, but I was wondering what the effect of having solar screen material on the inside of the windows would be. I'm thinking of putting some up like interior shades for the summer and taking them down in the winter.

my understanding is that the covering of the outside of the window prevents the sun from reaching the glass which indoor blinds would not. I am not clear though, exactly, on how the outside version compares to the indoor version, as mostly they compare to window tint.

[ceylona]

Originally Posted by crazy_bd

I have plantation shutters throughout the house. They really help to keep the temperatures down and look good too. Much better than solar screens imo, and easy to adjust from letting light in during the mornings to block the sun out in the afternoon/evening. Probably quite a bit more in price though.

It's true, I love the look of interior shutters. But if they aren't as good as the screens, I'd sooner go with the cheaper alternative and just put the shutters where they are most aesthetially pleasing (which would be on the less sun plagued sides of the house, as it turns out). We are sporting two mortgages right now and keeping costs down would be a plus