[Greenbuilding] Solar shades

[Robert Waldrop]

We used a bamboo shade on one of our west windows 
for several years without a problem.  We bought it 
about hmmm 1999, so I don't know if the method of 
making them has changed since then.  We also had 
several made from some kind of plastic.  The 
bamboo did better than the plastic in terms of 
lasting.

We duct taped 2 or 3 auto sun shades together and 
we hung those over the outside of the windows, 
then we put a roll-up shade over that.  The 
roll-up shade was mostly for aesthetics and to 
keep the neighbors off our back. The mylar 
sunshades did the shade work.  They worked great, 
and even though they were very cheap, they lasted 
for several seasons until our vegetation had grown 
enough that our west windows were completely 
shaded and we no longer needed an artificial shade 
for the windows in the summer.

We got the sun shades at a dollar store for about 
a dollar each.

Bob Waldrop, Oklahoma City


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lawrence Lile" <LLile at projsolco.com>
To: <Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2007 6:29 AM
Subject: [Greenbuilding] Solar shades


> I've got a couple of West windows, and I had 
> planned to put some external solar shades on 
> them about the time simmer comes along.  Well, 
> Summer is here!  The computer model says that 
> the three windows on the West are like 25% of my 
> air conditioning load.  Sheesh.  West windows 
> are terrible energy hogs, they contribute little 
> solar gain in the winter when you need it, and 
> plenty of solar gain in the summer when you 
> don't.  Ah, but sometimes, you just need to see 
> out to the West.
>
> A perusal of Home Depot's offerings revealed 
> three kinds of rollup external shades.  "Natural 
> oak" which is made of real, actual basswood; 
> bamboo; and PVC.   ("Oak" now refers to a color, 
> not to a species of tree. Next they'll have 
> "Real Wood" made of polyethylene.)
>
> The helpful shade lady who seemed to have been 
> selling shades for quite a while claimed that 
> the bamboo rollup shades, which were my 
> preference, would fall apart in a year if used 
> outdoors.  They were definitely labeled for 
> indoor use.  She recommended the PVC shades, 
> which I could not really stomach.  Basswood 
> shades weren't labeled for outdoor use, and I 
> didn't think they'd hold up either.
>
> The reason you want external sun shades is, of 
> course, to keep out sun and heat.  If you put 
> them on the interior, in a window with direct 
> sunlight, you risk cooking the window seals and 
> components.  Also, you've already let the heat 
> into the house, you'll absorb more of it than 
> you realise if the shade is on the inside.
>
> Another idea I considered is a heat reflecting 
> solar film.  This is also readily available at 
> Hoem Depot, and I can report that it looks like 
> it is 100% easier to use than the films I tried 
> years ago.  Those old films, once you stuck them 
> on there was no fixing them, so if you made a 
> bubble or a wrinkle then you had ti live with 
> it.  Now there is some kind of liquid stuff you 
> spray on the window, and when you are satisfied 
> with adjusting the position of the film, you 
> squeegee it out from under the film.
>
> I figured a film that rejects 70% of the suns 
> heat would get me pretty far toward the goal. 
> However, the wife nixed the idea, for asthetic 
> reasons.  There is no arguing with someone's 
> opinion of art.
>
> So I'm kind of stuck on trying to shade this 
> West window.  Any ideas?  Do  the bamboo shades 
> really fall apart after one season?
>
> --Lawrence
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