Buying or building a new home is an exciting venture, and it can be tempting to imagine that once you’ve settled in, you’ll never have to move again. But the truth is that there are all sorts of scenarios that could lead you to decide that it’s time for a new residence. New job opportunities, wanting to be closer to certain family members, or changes in the amount of square footage needed are all possible reasons to seek out new ground. When doing so, one of the most important steps in your transition is taking care of the sale of your current residence. This is why paying attention to your resale value is such an important part of being an owner. Failing to do so can put you in a very precarious financial place should you ever need to sell. Fortunately, there are a number of cost-effective, simple ways to increase your resale value, and one of those ways is by installing motorized solar screens.

In general, solar screens are fairly popular home additions, as they effectively protect the interior of your home from excess UV rays and help keep your heating bills under control. Motorized solar screens are screens that have become automated with the addition of motorization features, making it easier than ever to adjust the amount of heat and light each area of your home is exposed to.

In general, smart homes outfitted with all sorts of automated features are becoming more and more popular, making houses reliant solely on manually operated blinds less attractive. With the click of a button, you can choose to set your solar screens to your desired configuration with exact precision. The lack of manual cords is also safer for families with young children, an attractive feature to potential buyers.

Beyond the direct benefits of motorization, one of the greatest strengths of motorized solar screens is the added versatility they offer in regard to how spaces are used in a home. Exterior facing rooms can easily become indoor-outdoor rooms, to be repurposed based on the needs of the current homeowners. With the increased popularity of decks, patios, sunrooms, and other outdoor-related spaces, this is a huge benefit.

Another feature of solar screens is the ability to protect the actual materials and furniture inside your home. Sun damage is often somewhat of an invisible threat. It occurs over long periods of time and may at first go completely unnoticed. But eventually, patches of discoloration and faded surfaces may begin to appear on your belongings, at which point it is too late to repair the damage. Solar screens are an effective barrier, shielding your property from harmful UV rays so that everything continues to look pristine years after your initial move-in date.

These are just a few of the possible benefits to be gained when installing motorized solar screens. Choosing to do so will not only allow you to reap those benefits while still in possession of the home but also ensure that future potential buyers will appreciate the value of your property. The best part is that solar screens are extremely affordable, allowing you to make significant improvements to your home at reduced costs.

Installing a shading system for your Atlanta home can be an extremely effective way of reducing energy costs while ensuring that the interior of the house remains comfortable all year round. However, there are multiple shading systems available in the market. Two relatively popular options are retractable awnings and motorized solar screens. Both tick off all of the main requirements for a solid shading system, leaving many wondering which might be best. The truth is that while both are very similar in terms of the benefits they offer, their individual designs make them slightly more appropriate in some situations than others. Depending on the design of your house and your particular needs, you might discover that one solution is much more relevant to you than the other.

What Both Systems Have in Common

For starters, both systems were created with the intent of providing homeowners with protection from the sun. While some amount of exposure to natural sunlight is healthy, excessive UV rays can be harmful, in addition to increasing the temperature of your home and forcing you to deal with increased energy bills.

In addition, both retractable awnings and solar screens with motorization allow for a wide amount of flexibility. Depending on the weather or your intended use of a certain space, you can adjust your awning or screen as needed, adjusting the amount of UV rays and natural light that are blocked.

Individual Factors to Consider

One of the biggest differences, in addition to protecting the inside of your home from the sun, is that retractable awnings also provide a moderate amount of shade to areas outside the house. Homeowners who would like a versatile shading system that enables them to step outside onto a cozy porch or balcony would benefit from installing this particular system. Retractable awnings also provide shelter against precipitation, allowing residents to keep their windows open to a degree without fear of ending up with rain inside the house.

This is extremely useful if your main concern is in protecting your home and outdoor spaces from being impacted by visible sunlight. However, when using awnings, your windows remain uninsulated, which can continue to invite outside heat into your home. Solar screens, on the other hand, are very effective insulators.

Another key difference is visibility. When fully extended, awnings allow homeowners with unobstructed visibility in regard to the outdoors while blocking overhead light. However, when fully retracted, awnings can significantly block your view. Homeowners can generally decide how fully they would like their awning to be retracted, and as such determine how much to limit visibility. However, on days of extreme weather or high winds, awnings must be retracted for safety.

Meanwhile, solar screens can be fully raised or lowered without any additional effects. In addition, solar screens are available with varying degrees of transparency, allowing more or less light through. As such, homeowners can decide if they would prefer a model that allows for more visibility even when using the motorization feature to keep them lowered to the fullest extent.

Ultimately, while both systems are effective solutions to protect your home from excessive heat, each has unique benefits more suitable for specific scenarios. Determining which of those are most applicable to your situation will be the key to concluding which system is best for you.

When people think of solar screens, they usually think of the various ways in which these can prove useful in the summer. After all, the most oft-touted usage of this item is as a shading system that can protect you from harmful UV rays and excessive heat, both of which are most commonly encountered in the hot summer months. As such, many residents with solar screens installed may be wondering how best to handle their screens in the winter. Should they be removed? The short answer is no. But to fully understand that answer, it’s best to go over the main reasons why solar screens are actually very useful in the cooler months as well.

1. Protection From Any Harmful Effects of the Sun All Year Long
   While the days certainly feel much colder in the winter, the sun doesn’t stop shining. That means that all the same potential hazards from the sun are just as present in the winter as they are in the summer. Solar screens can serve as a shield, preventing most of the UV rays from the sun from penetrating the interior of your house. Not only is this safer for your health, but it also ensures that your belongings don’t suffer from the fading and discoloration commonly associated with sun damage, including household decor, furniture, and even flooring.A sun-related issue that is more specific to the winter months is glare. When the ground is coated in snow, it becomes a powerfully reflective surface. Sunlight reflected off of the snow creates a strong glare that can be at best uncomfortable to look at, and at worst harmful to your eyes. That’s one of the main reasons why those interested in winter sports, like skiing or snowboarding, must wear protective eye gear. Solar screens can reduce the glare, ensuring that you remain comfortable within your home.
2. Increased Privacy With Earlier Sunsets
   A natural part of cycling into winter is a change in the amount of daylight we experience on a daily basis. The summer often features earlier sunrises and later sunsets, resulting in an overall increase in the amount of daylight. In winter, we experience the opposite, with the sun setting as early as 3:30 PM in certain parts of the country. At first, this may seem like a strange way to approach a discussion about privacy. However, consider the fact that when we have decreased amounts of natural light, we generally compensate with increased amounts of artificial light. When glancing into a neighbor’s window from out on the sidewalk during the day, the result is generally a shadowy, relatively concealed view. Glancing into that same window at night is a different story. It is far easier to see into a person’s home when it’s dark out and their lights are on.Because solar screens are designed to block out amounts of natural light during the day, they can also serve as privacy screens to block out amounts of artificial light during the night. While these are not the same as blackout curtains, they can effectively obscure the interior of your home from view to protect you and your family from the scrutiny of strangers.
3. Insulation Is Just As Necessary In the Winter as It Is In the Summer
   The purpose of insulation is to serve as a thermal barrier, preventing heat transfer from one space into another. Consider some of the most popular insulated bottles and thermoses available for purchase. Most of the products available advertise their capabilities for keeping their contents warm or cold for long periods of time. The key to good insulation is the ability to preserve temperature, regardless of what that initial temperature might have been. The same applies to insulation on your windows. In the summer, solar screens insulate your windows to prevent the heat from the outside leaking in and the coolness of your home from leaking out. In the winter, the same solar screens do the opposite, keeping the cold outside separate from the warmth inside.

No matter the time of year, solar screens continue to serve as an effective tool to reduce energy costs and keep your Atlanta home family safe and comfortable.