If you’re thinking about solar window shades in Los Altos Hills, CA, you may not be aware of just how much they will add to your home in terms of modernity, energy efficiency, and versatility.
One of the most important features of Hunter Douglas solar window shades is that you can choose how much light filtering you want them to have. Solar window shades are unique in that they can both provide privacy and be opaque enough for you to see everything outside your home clearly.
However, in this configuration, solar window shades will allow a lot of natural light inside your home. If you’d like to have less natural light coming in, though, solar window shades can be configured for that.
Solar window shades are woven together, so solar window shades that allow a lot of natural light in have a much looser weave, while solar window shades that allow less natural light in have a much tighter weave. A tighter weave on your solar window shades will give you more privacy and better ultraviolet (UV) ray protection because they have a lower percentage of openness in the weave they are constructed with.
Solar window shades add to the energy efficiency of your home because they give you control over the amount of outside light that is allowed into your home. This can help you in both the winter months, when you may want more light inside your home, and summer months, when you may want less light inside your home.
Solar window shades come in varying degrees of opacity (openness). These range from 1% to 14%. Solar window shades manufactured with 1% of opacity can block almost all the UV rays of sunlight from coming into your home, while solar shades manufactured with 14% opacity allow more sunlight into your home and give you a clear view of the outside of your home.
The most popular opacity for solar window shades in both commercial buildings and homes is 5%, because this percentage gives the right balance of light and privacy that people seem to prefer. Solar window shades with 5% opacity block about 95% of the sun’s UV rays and give a very clear view to the outside of your home.
Solar window shades come in interior and exterior versions. Interior solar window shades are used inside your home as window coverings. They are an excellent choice for homes where weather can be very cold or very hot, because they can help let light in to warm your home during the coldest times of the year and they can help eliminate solar heat gain during the warmest times of the year.
Exterior solar window shades can be installed in outside areas of your home like porches and patios. They offer way to entertain comfortably outside, especially in warmer weather. Exterior solar window shades provide a cooler and private place for family to gather on the porch during summer months, or for friends and family to have a respite during outdoor parties.
The color of your exterior solar window shade is important. If you want to block more of the sun’s UV rays, then a light-colored solar window shade is your best choice. However, if you want to be able to better see what’s happening outside, you should choose a solar window shade that is a darker color.
If you’d like to learn more about solar window shades in Los Altos Hills, CA, you can speak with our knowledgeable team at Windows & Beyond, Inc. You can visit our showroom at 4020 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, or you can contact us at (650) 938-8822 for a free in-home estimate.