Solar window film or solar screens??? (houses, transfer, buy)

[volleyballer]

Which would be better? I have some windows facing the West, and it just cooks my house. No shade tree, and it would take several years before it was a benefit anyway.

So please tell me your experience with either the window film or the solar screens. I've read you put film on the inside, and obviously the screens are outside. But I don't know how to get a screen around the whole window. You know how half of the window is screened and the other half isn't? Totally confused here. I'd prefer screens. But what do you think? And which provides more relief from the sun, heat and energy bills?

[wburg]

I was planning on getting solar film until I realized my tree had grown enough to cover the windows...trees are very good for that sort of thing. The solar films are easy to install. Another option would be canvas awnings outside the window, and/or light-colored curtains or a shade over the window to bounce light back out. There are also aluminum-foil lined blinds that provide some insulation value. Something that actually blocks or reflects light will work better than a film--roll the shade down

In any case, it's probably not going to help a great deal unless your walls are also insulated, so don't spend a ton of money on it. Especially in older houses, 80% of the heat transfer is through the walls.

[volleyballer]

Thanks Wburg. My house is 20 years old, and I do think the heat is coming from the windows. My bedroom has the most windows, they face the east, and it is cooking in the morning. You can feel the heat radiating off of our west windows. We have blinds on all except the door window (hate that thing) and the tall,narrow strip of windows next to the door. Everything else seems fine. We do want to plant trees, but I'm looking for immediate relief.

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by volleyballer

Which would be better? I have some windows facing the West, and it just cooks my house. No shade tree, and it would take several years before it was a benefit anyway.

So please tell me your experience with either the window film or the solar screens. I've read you put film on the inside, and obviously the screens are outside. But I don't know how to get a screen around the whole window. You know how half of the window is screened and the other half isn't? Totally confused here. I'd prefer screens. But what do you think? And which provides more relief from the sun, heat and energy bills?

Anything that can stop the sun's rays from initially hitting the window glass is more efficient than anything added to the inside. Full coverage Window screens or large overhangs that prevent this are the best!

[MamaToThree]

You should also take into consideration the amount of insulation you have in your attic. We had a company come in and blow some sort of eco-green fire retardant insulation in the attic and it has made a WORLD of difference in how cool our house stays. We had a huge olive tree in our front yard that used to give off MASSIVE shade. It was pretty much a goner, so we had it removed. Of course the next week was 110 degrees for 2 weeks straight! Before the insulation, around 4:00pm, we would be baking inside of our house. Now we just keep the regular/cheap metal blinds pulled down and it stays nice and cool. We never did replace the tree. I can try to dig up the name of this company and what it was that they used if you are interested. We found them at one of the Cal-Expo landscape booths.

[Shope]

I would definitley look into a window tinting film. Call around to some different window covering companies in town and get some more info/ pricing. It shouldn't cost you too much and it can be easily removed when you do have some mature trees. Also, definitley look into attic insulation as MamaToThree said. There are a variety of insulations out there, with the spray on being the most effective. To save money you can also buy some R-30 insulation and install it yourself if you don't have any insulation in your attic.