Our screens battle the sun to keep you from sweating over energy bills!

As we all know, the sun can act as a furnace for your home… without an “OFF” switch.

Trying to stay comfortable in warmer months can drive up air conditioning costs and increase monthly utility bills.

Exterior screens can help stop the sun’s rays from striking your windows, reducing heat transfer and keeping your home cooler.  Then, whenever you’d like to take advantage of the sun’s warmth just raise your screens to help heat your home.  Now that’s solar power!

Says Who?

Well, as we’re also in the awning business, we supported a research project overseen by the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) in which Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory conducted a research project using a simulation software program called RESFEN.

Here’s some background information about the project:

• The annual energy performance figures shown below are for a typical (new construction) 2,000 square foot home with 300 square feet of window area (windows equally distributed on all four sides of the home).

• The figures shown below are for savings when awnings are applied to clear double-glazed windows & operated seasonally

• There can be little or no peak demand savings from awnings in some hot, humid cities.  This is due to climatic variations that influence whether peak demand is driven more by solar gain through windows, or by factors
  such as temperature and humidity.

 

Source: Awnings in Residential Buildings: The Impact on Energy Use and Peak Demand
Center for Sustainable Building Research, University of Minnesota, 2007