Solar Screens--Do they really work? (Howe: house, buy, contractors)

[Mom2Feebs]

I know this question has been posed before but I don't ever remember seeing an answer. Our upstairs of our 2004-built home is significantly warmer than downstairs, especially in the afternoons (we face W/SW). I'm wondering if solar screens would help that (along with better insulation in the attic)...but I am worried about what it will do to the light we receive. Anyone out there have any info to share?

Edited to add: our electric for the month of June was $234.

[pobre]

Oh, YES!!!

Our previous house also faced S/SW (rear), and we never put solar screens on. Current house also has same orientation. We put solar screens on, and what a difference. Blinding light does not come through, we can leave our blinds open and never have to adjust.

There is an "adjustment" period after installation when you look out and everything is darker than what you are used to. However, there is still plenty of light coming in.

FWIW, we went with the 90% screens, brown. They come in black, brown, beige, and grey (at least they did when we had them done. We did all of our back wiundows, plus a few on the side that received quite a bit of sun, 15 in all. We paid around $850 total (this was in '04). They charge by the square inch, generally.

[Mom2Feebs]

Thanks for the info. Did you notice a difference in heat coming through or your bill?

[wellguy]

We moved into our home 10 1/2 years ago and due to its' position we had Solar Screens made. Since they were on prior to any CPS Bills I cannot tell you if it made a difference on the bill. I can assure you that they help keep our home cool and we have no direct sunlight coming through the windows.

As pobre stated the screens come in various colors that will match you home just fine. Every window on the house is screened even the Patio Door. Ours are a dark brown and after all this time they are in great condition. I'm sorry but I can't tell you who put ours in although they were on the NE Side of town and they were affordable. The Company sent someone to measure and the screens were installed frame and all within a week. The frames are white and you don't notice them since the window frames are white.

I don't know if you know this but CPS offers a rebate but you have to use one of many Contractors on their list. It's all on their webpage under Residential Rebates. www.cpsenergy.com

[HillCountryHotRodMan]

The screens are definitely beneficial. I've had them on my home for about 6 years and it was a good investment. The back of my home faces west and that's why I purchased them. You can have different "strengths" of screen installed depending on the location of your windows. I take them down twice per year (due to the bird crap), take a brush and soapy water to 'em and rehang 'em. They still look like brand new.

[forest1492]

I think you can get them in 70%, 80% and 90%. You will notice that there is some distortion in the view out the window. You won't be able to see well if you stand directly in front of the window and look outside. You will need to take a few steps back to see well. You will be glad you invested in them regardless of any energy savings because your home will be more comfortable.
Remember to put crossbars in the screens separating the upper window from the lower window (or left pane from right in the case of horizontal windows.) I think it detracts from the look of a house to have whole window screens with no divider separating the window panes.

[BamaSailor]

They make a huge difference in the amount of heat you feel coming through. There will be some loss of natural light but the benefit is worth it. I made my own by going to Home Depot or Lowes (one had much longer rolls, which meant less waste/cost than the other but I forget which). You can buy the frame in several feet (12 maybe) sections. Measure the window and cut the frame 1 1/2 inches shorter than the measurement. Put the frame together with purchased corner pieces which make up the 1 1/2 inch difference. Put the screen in with rubber like normal screen. If there is no screen on that window or not on the whole window, you may have to add a simple bracket to hold it in place. Certainly worth it!!! My last CPS bill was $181 for a ~2,500 sq foot house.

Another huge help that I did was remove and discard the crap roof vent. Replaced it with a wind driven turbin and added three more turbins to take out hot air. Another DIY project that costs about $50 each. Though nerve racking the first time you cut a hole in your roof, it really is easy to do.

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by wc2005

Another huge help that I did was remove and discard the crap roof vent. Replaced it with a wind driven turbin and added three more turbins to take out hot air. Another DIY project that costs about $50 each. Though nerve racking the first time you cut a hole in your roof, it really is easy to do.

Thanks for this tip wc2005! And plus of roof caulking (?) to seal it!

[skeet09]

Solar screens definitely work. Parents had them installed by the Casa Verde project thru CPS and although their bill has always been low, this change and a few others reduced it by $30/month.
Also, if you don't already have radiant barrier installed in your attic, this is a great way to lower your bills too and its a very DIY project if you are comfortable getting in your attic or just have a willing guy do it for you, very easy to install, basically putting wall paper of sorts in your attic!
Good luck!

[scuba steve]

I cut my peak electric bills by about 40% by
- tinting windows in a south-facing room
- DIY-ing radiant barrier
- Adding ridge venting
- Running around with foaminacan in the attic taking care of places where I could feel cool air coming in
- Same thing with the foam behind outlets and any penetration in the sheetrock where wiring or a water line came in. This had the nice side effect of taking the indoor bug count down to about zero.