Solar Shades

The shade consists of a flat piece of material that rolls up or down from a headrail at the top of the window treatment. It can be operated by a cord loop, cordless, or motorized system.

While solar shades are a great option to reduce glare, mitigate heat gain, and protect your belongings from UV damage, they are not the best product for privacy. The woven material on these shades is rated by an openness factor. The more open, or loose, the weave, the more light is let through. Openness factors range from 1% to 14%; 1% indicates a tight, dense weave that lets in minimal light, while 14% signifies a looser weave.

Solar shades block all aspects of sunlight. Meaning, the heat you feel, the light you see, and the unseen UV rays commonly associated with being in the sun. Solar shades control all three areas of sunlight. Solar shades manage solar radiation in three ways: transference. reflection, absorption, and dispersion.

• Transference refers to the sunlight moving through your window and solar shades into your home. In some cases, the ideal transfer is actually higher, as you might want some sun to flow into your home and not be blocked completely.

• Reflection is pretty straightforward. Solar shades reflect heat, light, and UV rays from the sun back outside, protecting your home from intense sunlight.

• Dispersion is where solar shades truly shine. Sunlight gets absorbed into the fabric of your solar shade, and then it is subtly dispersed into your home. Because your solar shade has absorbed much of the solar radiation, you are left with a much softer and approachable look and feel.

In addition to the various operating systems, our custom solar shades can be ordered in many different colors, with options for decorative valances, headrails, and hem bars. KOOLBLACK® Technology can be added for maximum glare reduction.

Any room that tends to get a lot of overpowering sunlight would benefit from solar shades.