What Are Solar Optical Properties?
BWS Design • Oct 24, 2016

If you’ve been looking for some new window shades, you’ve probably run across the term solar optical properties. Although this term sounds complex, the basics of it are really simple and knowing them can help you learn what type of shades are ideal for your property.

What Are Solar Optical Properties?

A solar optical property is a characteristic of shades that has many determinants. These determinants reflect the total solar energy transmitted (Ts), the total solar energy reflected (Rs), the total solar energy absorbed (As), the visible light transmitted (Tv), the total ultraviolet factor (Tu), and the openness factor (Of). They combine to make up any given shade’s solar optical property. Here’s some more information about each of these determinants.

Ts

This stands for the total amount of solar energy that can pass through a fabric shade. High numbers of this value indicate higher amounts of total solar energy making its way indoors.

Rs

This stands for the total amount of solar energy that reflects off the shade and back outdoors. Lighter-colored shades usually have higher Rs values, meaning more solar energy reflects outside.

As

This is the amount of total solar energy absorbed in the shade’s fabric. Most of this energy stays out of the room, but a small amount gets re-radiated into the space.

Tv

This is the amount of visible light that passes through glass and into a building. It consists of all colors on the spectrum.

Tu

This factor indicates the amount of ultraviolet light that radiates through the shade’s fabric. It’s expressed as a percentage.

Of

Openness factor indicates the area of the openings in the shade’s fabric. High values of Of mean higher levels of light can pass through these openings.

Energy Efficiency

Property owners often think of energy efficiency in choosing window coverings because energy-efficient materials save on monthly bills. Many factors play into a window treatment’s energy efficiency, including the Shading Coefficient and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient.

Shading Coefficient

The Shading Coefficient consists of a number between 0 and 1 that expresses the amount of shade a window covering provides. Lower shading coefficients mean that more heat gets reflected back outside, while higher shading coefficients mean that more heat comes in the building.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

This coefficient expresses the amount of heat that makes its way inside taking into account the entire window system. This includes the fabric and the glass and frame assembly. Lower numbers of this coefficient mean higher amounts of heat that can’t enter the room.

Window Shades

Window shades vary in their shading coefficients. Cellular shades have the lowest shading coefficients and are therefore the most energy-efficient shades. Their coefficients range from 0.25 to 0.45. The shading coefficient for solar shades ranges between 0.3 and 0.6, and Roman shades have a shading coefficient of 0.3. Solar sheer shades usually have a shading coefficient of 0.35.

Wood Blinds

Unfortunately, wood blinds usually have low levels of energy efficiency properties. Motorized wood blinds can, however, open, close, and tilt automatically depending on the amount of sun hitting the window. This motorization increases energy efficiency by minimizing the amount of light coming into a room.

At Just Blinds, we offer shades featuring diverse solar optical properties. The products we sell come made from the highest-quality materials, and we have many designs and styles of shades available. We’ve been serving the Central Alabama area for more than 30 years, and we specialize in custom design and installation of blinds, shades, and shutters. To schedule a time for a free in-home consultation, please contact us.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

The Leading Window Treatment Trends of 2024

By Autumn Hooper • 07 Feb, 2024
Each year, styles in window treatments come and go. Trends that were hot last year may carry over to the new interior decor season or may be replaced by something new. In 2024, we are looking at a delightful set of trends in blinds, shades, and curtains that embrace the developing attitudes and popular colors that are already giving the year a unique stylistic personality. At Just Blinds, we are delighted to keep up with the trends, helping homeowners, designers, and property managers to create stunning spaces that align with the latest in window treatment trends. The Hot Trends of 2023 Blinds and Shades Last year in 2023, we saw a great collection of trends, many of which have evolved and strengthened with the new year. 2023 explored the innovations of cell shades and honeycomb shades for the benefits of insulation and light control. Motorization gained a prominant place in both home and office design, and decorators discovered the dynamic possibilities of shades that operate from both the bottom and the top on floor-to-ceiling tracks. Texture saw a real debut with natural colors like wood finishes, linen, dusty rose, and moss green. Though bold patterns also had their day in the sun. The Trending 2024 Window Treatments In 2024, you may recognize a few trends still going strong from the year before, which is good news for those who decorated last year because your style is likely still right on-trend. But we are also seeing new trends developing with elegant enthusiasm. Smart Home Blinds The trend for motorized shades has naturally evolved to favor smart home controls. With a simple voice command, you can take control of all the motorized shades in a room, in your entire home, or set each shade to exactly the height and opacity you desire. Warm Neutrals and Bold Natural Colors Color trends favor a more natural palette. Neutral colors are warmer, even the grays and charcoals have a honey undertone, while natural colors like mossy and forest green are growing stronger in hue paired with a jewelbox of flower petal colors. If you're following the Colors of the Year, you may have also noticed an adoration of ocean blues, and you can match those blues with slightly darker or lighter blinds for beautiful effect. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials Natural materials and textures were popular in 2023, and 2024 takes this trend even further. Blinds made out of recycled materials are now on the rise alongside the growing popularity of blinds made from super-sustainable plants like bamboo, hemp, jute, and grass cloth. These offer natural colors, dynamic textures, and the delight of eco-friendly design. Gauzy Sheer Elegance Sheer curtains and semi-sheer blinds are also in fashion; a classic style that has been floating near the top of popularity for literal centuries. Sheer curtains and blinds maintain privacy while allowing sunlight into the room in a gently diffused glow. They also layer excellently with more robust window treatments. Creative Window Treatment Layering Speaking of layering, we are seeing an enthusiastic embrace of creatively layered styles. Wooden shutters, gauzy curtains, and black-out blinds are among the most popular layers, but decorators are getting creative with how they choose to to layer their window treatments, using both multiple fabrics and structures at the same time. Find the Blinds that Best Suit Your Needs How can you choose fantastic and on-trend blinds that perfectly suit your design needs? Fortunately, the diversity of this year's trends leave room for almost any personal sense of style and the individual needs of each room's windows. Start with the size of your windows and your room's existing color palette. Decide if you want to match, accent, or contrast the colors of the room. Then choose the opacity, privacy, and level of motorized control you desire. This should guide you toward a specific selection that will work well for your room. From there, it's a matter of specific features and your personal sense of style. Reach Out for Expert and On-Trend Advice If you are getting ready to decorate a room and want the perfect window treatments for 2024, we are only a phonecall or a visit away. Give us a call for expert advice in the right blinds or shades for each window in your home. Our on-trend window treatment experts will be glad to help tailor your window treatment design to your personal tastes, the latest trends, and the style of each of your rooms.

Beat the Heat: Best Choices to Keep The Interior of Your Home Cool

20 Jul, 2023
Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly. Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer: Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations. Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes. Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between. Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds? The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy. In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows. All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room. What is the Best Choice? The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room. Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics. How Much Can I Actually Save? The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows. For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer. Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.
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