Solar Shades
Solar shades provide excellent glare control without blocking the view.
Also known as ‘sun shades’, ‘solar screen shades’, or ‘UV protection shades’, solar shades enhance comfort and energy efficiency, without sacrificing your view. Their clean, modern aesthetic complements any design style, offering a refined solution for any window, exposure, or location-specific sun challenge.
View FAQs for Solar Shades
Benefits of Solar Shades
Insolroll® Solar Shades
Block the sun, not the view.
- Wire-free motor option
- Dual fabric option
- View-through
- Block the sun, not the view!
- Control glare and heat- lower cooling load
- Protect interior furnishings and finishes
Insolroll Solar
Insolroll® Dual Fabric Shades
Combine Solar Screen and privacy or room-darkening fabric in a single treatment
- Wire-free motor option
- Dual fabric option
- Privacy
- All the sun control of solar screen with on-demand privacy and room-darkening when combined with blackout fabric.
- Combine solar screen with translucent fabric for sun control with on-demand light-filtering and privacy.
- Hundreds of fabric choices
Insolroll Dual Shades
Insolroll Fixed Solar Shades
Simple, affordable sun control solution for angled and trapezoid windows
- Energy-efficient
- View-through
- Solar shade energy efficiency for angled and trapezoid windows as well as skylights
- Heat, glare, and UV control
- Hundreds of fabric choices for every décor and sun exposure level
Fixed Solar Shades
Solar Shades FAQs
Solar shades work by blocking heat, glare, and harmful UV rays from entering the interior. See the questions below to read more about these solar shade benefits.
Each solar screen fabric is woven to a precise “openness” level. This refers to the amount of visible light that is allowed to pass through the fabric. More tightly woven fabrics block more visible light and more loosely woven fabrics block less light. You can still see through the fabric, but glare control and view-through vary by openness.
Color and weave openness affect a fabric’s level of heat control, and each individual fabric and color are laboratory-tested to determine how much of the sun’s energy is reflected away, absorbed into the fabric, and transmitted into the room. Data is available for all fabrics to help determine which fabric is best for the combination of your needs and style.
Solar shades block up to 99% of the UV in sunlight. Their weave openness determines how much UV is blocked while still allowing view-through. 10% open fabrics block approximately 90% of UV, 5% open fabrics block approximately 95% of UV, 3% open fabrics block approximately 97% of UV, and 1% open fabrics block approximately 99% of UV.
UV rays are harmful and can cause expensive damage to furniture, floors, finishes, and artwork in your home. UV fades and degrades materials, making them dull and brittle. It is also harmful to a person’s eyes and skin, and solar shades reduce your exposure when you’re inside.
Solar shades are fully retractable, so you control their level based on interior comfort and light conditions. On a dark cloudy day, shades can be raised all the way to allow the most natural light into the room. On a bright sunny day, solar shades can be lowered completely to block the most heat and glare. On a bright but cloudy day, diffused light can be visually uncomfortable so you can lower the shades to the level you prefer for the most comfort.
Yes! Because they are retractable to any position you like, solar shades can let you easily take advantage of passive solar warming. They are also extremely effective at blocking snow glare, which can be problematic in Colorado. UV rays reflected by snow on the ground can increase interior UV exposure by almost double. UV exposure is also higher at high altitude, so solar screen shades can be very important in Colorado to protect your furnishings, floors, art, and eyesight.