Solar Screens McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Wylie, Sachse, Murphy

Information Screens vs. Tint Pictures Warranty/References

Kangaroo Contractors Services installs energy efficient Phifer Suntex solar screens (also known as sun shades or sun screens) in the North Dallas area including McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Wylie, and Sachse. Compare Our Solar Screens & Service To our Competitor's! Made of durable vinyl-coated polyester fabric (not fiberglass) Always durable metal corners and clips (unlike our competitors plastic that degrade in the sun!) Custom grid work for any solar screen available to match existing windows Expert advice on color coordination Lifetime warranty on parts and labor References available

Solar Screens Our Solar Screens Block the Sun, not the View Our Solar Screens Cut Utility Costs, Save up to 30% Our Solar Screens Block up to 80% or 90% of the sun's Rays Our Solar Screens Provide Added Insulation, Even In Winter Our Solar Screens Let in Soft Light and Breezes Our Solar Screens Provide Daytime Privacy Our Solar Screens Stop Fading of Valuable Furnishings

CELL CELL

CELL CELL

Now you can get an approximate estimate if you know your window sizes.

Click to view our measurement pricing sheet.

 

Read below for an actual Solar Screens Savings from a customer in Melissa, TX.

Just like many people these days, I'm looking to save money on my electricity bills. If I can "Go Green" at the same time, that is just an added benefit. I viewed many websites and businesses that say you can save "x" amount on your electricity bill if you have them install any dizzing array of products, but there really wasn't any real life data to back up the claim.

Time to collect some data. I teamed up with Ward Vestal and Kangaroo Contractors Services of McKinney, Texas and decided to install their 90% blocking Phifer Sun Screens on the southern facing windows of my house located in Melissa, Tx. The graphs below are real-time temperatures collected from the windows updated every 5 minutes.

The solar shades were installed on April 5th, 2010 on twelve windows with a total area of 271.5 square feet. The rule of thumb for windows is to calculate 60 BTU/hr influx for solar radiation on window with closed blinds. Mutliplying the square footage of my windows and assuming 90% blockage will give me the amount of BTU's that my air conditioners should not need to cool which is 14,664BTU/hr. As seen on the graphs, the windows are in direct line of the sun between 12pm and 4:30pm. My main AC unit will cool 48,000BTU/hr. This means it should work roughly 30% less than before during the part of the day the sun is hitting the windows thereby saving me money. I will compare this with my month electrical utility bill with a correction for cooling-degree days to compensate for climate variations to verify the actual cost savings.

The table below is data comparing this year to last with my current electricity bill on our 3400 square foot home.

The graphs below show the current temperatures of the outside blind, inside the blind, inside the window, and inside the room of my house. You can see an immediate difference in the temperatures inside and outside the solar shades. The difference between the blue line and the red line should be the cost savings I see on my monthly bills since that is the radiant heat being blocked. There is no way for me to currently calculate how much radiative heat is being blocked, which is why the proof should be in my power bills.

Update 6/11/10. Looks like I'm saving about $21/month with the solar shades so far. Since we had uncommonly hot weather (CDD is up almost 25% for the month of May), my overall power bill went up, but I can see the duty cycle on my AC is less than it was before which means the Solar Shades are doing their job. Also, since my windows only see direct sun for 4.5hours each day, my benefit is less compared to if the sun was hitting the widows all day. I suspect that cost savings would be in the $60/day range if I had a rectangular house and sun hitting the windows all day from sunrise to sunset. This is a 14% cost savings per month on my electricity bill!

Update 8/14/10. We now have four months of data which gives me enough data to calculate out a linear regression fit. The BTU calculation shows $81.42 worth of cost savings, but the linear regression which helps factor in our recent hot streak shows $166.68 in cost savings. The truth is somewhere in between there, and most likely towards the upper end because we have seen a huge drop in our electricity bill even though it is getting much hotter outside. We are very happy with our investment!

Update 9/17/10. This was the hottest month ever since I've been keeping track of my electricity bills. 657.5 cooling degree days for 7/30 to 8/28. Wow did we ever have a hot streak! But we're keeping nice and cool with our Solar Shades! My electricity bill was $272.32 but that is a far cry from the high of $358.78 that it was during the very hot month of July last year and at 6% less cooling degree days. Can I be any happier with our purchase from Kangaroo Contractors Systems?! They have put a smile on my face and money in my pocket!

Update 11/09/10. It's starting to cool down and it's almost time to take the solar shades off so we can get all that daylight in through our windows to passively heat up the house. At $317 worth of cost savings for a summer, out investment will pay off in just a little over two years.

Data Table

KWh versus Degree Day Graph

Blue line is with no solar shades. Purple line is with solar shades. Difference between the two lines is about 11% cost savings. Also note that the purple line increases spacing from the blue line when it gets hotter outside. That means as the temperature goes up outside, we use less power to keep cool thanks to the solar shades!

Click here for more actual energy cost savings data: http://lowgrey.homeip.net:2061/kangaroo.html

 

Price + Quality = Value  Compare our solar screen service with others before you buy. Most solar screen companies know what their work is worth. If you have received a low proposal from another solar screen company you might ask yourself some basic questions:  ·        What kind of frame are they really going to use on their solar screens?   ·       Is it only ¾ inch with cheap plastic corners that will rot in the sun and eventually break?  ·        Are they going to bother cleaning the windows before installing the solar screens?   ·        Do they have a written warranty?   ·        Are they a member of the Better Business Bureau with no complaints in 15 years of business?   ·        Did they provide a list of satisfied customers to call? Spending a few dollars more than you expected is better than spending a few less than you should. Protecting and beautifying your home with a premium sun shading fabric is a wise investment. The majority of our work comes from repeat customers and/or referrals. The reason is that we do the best work for the most value. I guarantee it. Isn't your home worth it? Top Ten Reasons to Buy Solar Screens        10. Sun's energy is absorbed by the open weave design of the fabric and  then dissipated through the holes in the mesh as air moves through it. 9. Exterior sun shading stops the heat before it enters the home, like having a shade tree in front of every window in your home. 8. Blocks 90% of the visible light heat which is responsible for 44% of the heat gain into a home. 7. Stops 90% of the UV Rays from entering your home which can cause fading of valuable furnishings. 6. Provides daytime privacy, blinds can be left open and nobody can see into your home. 5. Blocks on average 90% of the heat entering the home, that is not an "up to" number, that is the average with the sun at all angles, with a high angle in the southern sky the blockage is almost 100%!! 4. Can be taken off and removed in the winter to allow solar heat gain for passive heating of the home and cleaning of the window. 3. DOES NOT void the window warranty for the majority of window manufacturers. 2. Provides a third layer of insulation for double pane windows making them 15% more energy efficient in winter time. 1. Doesn't make you home darker, now you can leave your blinds open all day instead of closed like they are now, actually the net effect is more light into your home!   And now you can get a 30% Federal Tax credit on Solar Screens installed on your windows! Click the .PDF file below for the certificate. Solar Screen Tax Credit Information.pdf     What Others Say   "It is far better, for heat gain prevention, to block the sunlight before it reaches the window, thereby dissipating the absorbed heat outside where it can be carried away by the air currents. This means that simple shade trees and other exterior shading methods can be very effective, both in saving air cooling energy and in blocking the strong glare which direct sunlight can produce if allowed inside." "If the homeowner is considering window film, it is important to realize that some window manufacturers void their warranties if window films are applied to their products. The main reason is that most window films accomplish their solar glare reduction by absorbing solar radiation inside the film, causing it to heat up. Some of the heat in the film will conduct to the glass on which it is applied, causing this glass to expand. If it expands enough, stresses can build up in the window and cause it to fail, most often through a shattering of the glass." (Choosing the Best Residential Window Options for the Florida Climate - Guide for Florida Homeowners, R. McCluney and P. Jindra, Floriday Solar Energy Council, 2002, pp. 3 & 15) "I am very pleased with all of the work you have done on our home. Your service technicians are always courteous, efficient and on time. The solar screens you installed made a big difference in our electric bill and our AC is working more efficiently and laboring less to keep the house cool. Cami, the nice lady who works in your office, is great to work with and is always responsive and so pleasant. i am pleased to recommend your company and personnel. Thank you for always doing a great job at a fair price."  Evan Foster - Fairview. Texas   Click here for more actual energy cost savings data: http://lowgrey.homeip.net:2061/kangaroo.html