Solar shades are affordable, hardworking window treatments that preserve a view, reduce glare, and keep rooms cool. When selecting your shades, please pay attention to their openness percentage, which indicates how tightly woven the fabric is.
A medium openness factor preserves your view and prevents the fading of interior finishes and furnishings from the sun’s harsh UV rays. It also provides a modest level of privacy during the day.
Light Control
Solar shades are an excellent choice to reduce glare on your television or computer screens, block out harmful UV rays, keep interiors cool, or add privacy. Their woven fabric design offers many options regarding openness, opacity, color, and more.
Sun control is why most people purchase window shades, especially solar ones. They protect flooring, furniture, and art by blocking harmful UV rays while reducing the amount of sunlight that enters the room.
Shade openness factors (opacity levels) determine how much light can pass through the fabric. For example, a 1% shade is tightly woven and blocks out views and light, while a 10% shade has a looser weave to allow more light and visibility. Fabric colors also help determine how much sun rays are transferred, reflected, and absorbed; darker fabrics tend to block more.
Energy Efficiency
Solarium shades Middletown CT, are among the most effective energy-saving window treatments, reducing window heat gain during summer and decreasing winter heating costs. The fabric you choose will play a significant role in how much natural light and UV rays are allowed to filter through your windows, and it’s vital that you know your goals and select a shade with the appropriate level of transparency.
Sunscreen fabrics are an excellent option for solar shades, as they filter and diffuse harsh UV rays while offering light control and privacy. Sunscreen shades also feature a dust-repellent finish, making them easy to clean and maintain for busy homeowners.
The openness factor, or opacity level, of solar shades, reflects how densely or loosely woven the fabric is. Higher opacity levels block more UV rays and allow less light to pass through the material, while lower opacity levels reflect more sunlight and offer more privacy.
Privacy
Solar shades are available in various opacity levels, helping homeowners reduce the amount of sunlight that enters their homes and causes unwanted heat gain. The opacity level also affects visibility and privacy. Higher opacity fabrics allow more natural light to filter into a room while blocking the sun’s UV radiation and offering a clear view of the outdoors during the day.
Lower opacity fabrics block more light and offer more privacy. However, looking at a window through these fabrics, you can still see silhouettes and shapes.
In addition, fabric color influences opacity and privacy. Darker colors better absorb thermal energy and may help reduce glare while offering a superior view. This makes darker fabrics an excellent choice for large windows overlooking a unique outdoor setting!
Fabric Color
Solar shades come in various colors to complement a homeowner’s home decor and style. While fabric color is not a factor in their performance, it is essential to understand the difference between shade fabrics when shopping for the best solution for your home.
The first step in selecting the right shade for your sunroom is to determine your level of privacy and light control needs. Most solar shades have an “openness” number on their label or sample swatch. This number refers to how tightly the fabric is woven and reflects how much natural light can pass through it.
Higher openness factors mean tighter weaves and less visibility, while lower numbers indicate a looser weave and more natural light. Some solar shades even offer a blackout option with a 0% openness rating, preventing sunlight and solar heat from entering your room. While this may be an ideal option for some homeowners, it might only work well for some who require a lot of privacy during the day.
