Sun Air Awnings

Solar Screens

What will Sunair Solar screens do for me?

Solar screens can significantly reduce indoor room temperature, often by as much as 20 degrees during summer months. This reduces air conditioning costs. In winter, unlike window tinting, solar screens can be raised, allowing the winter sun’s warmth to enter and warm the room.

Solar screens, whether installed inside the room or outside, will reduce sun’s glare, while preserving the view. Solar shades also cut down on interior fading of floors, carpets, and furniture caused by UV sunlight.

Solar screens give you daytime privacy in your home or office. Sunair offers black out type fabrics that completely block all light. These fabrics are ideal for media rooms and where privacy is important.

Many screen fabrics accept printing. Screens can serve double duty; first as a window treatment, and secondly as an advertising medium for commercial spaces in offices and retail businesses.

Choosing the perfect screen system

Sunair solar screens are available for either interior or exterior use. They can be manually operated or motorized. Each screen is custom designed for your specific application. Frame color, fabric selection, size and operation method are all up to you as a customer.

Reviewing the considerations below will help you in selecting the best custom screen system for you. Better yet, plan on meeting with a Sunair Representative to discuss and select the best screen system. Go to the “find a dealer” tab at the top of the page.

Placement

Sunair Solar screens can be installed either on the outside of the window glass, or on the inside of the window glass, or where no window glass existed before.

Wherever placed, solar screens offer substantial benefit to the owner, often paying for themselves in energy savings and by preventing UV sunlight damage to expensive interiors.

Solar screens can be installed either on the exterior or interior of the windows. With exterior solar screens installations, the fabric blocks the sun’s heat before it enters the home through the glass. This stops the window glass from getting hot and becoming a summer heat radiator. Exterior installation cuts room heat the most.

Sometimes it is not feasible to install a screen on the exterior. In that case, interior screens offer a good alternative. Interior screens don’t need to survive rain and are priced below exterior screens. 

Fabric & Frame selection considerations

Since exterior solar shades can effectively block up to 90% of solar heat rays before they heat up the glass. You could realize a reduction in air-conditioning costs by as much as 25% – 40%.

So if energy saving and UV protection is most important, then a more closed or tighter weave is better suited. If view is important, a more open weave is a consideration. Fabrics are available from a 1% to 14% openness factor. Fabric samples are always available for evaluation through a Sunair representative.

Once the right openness factor is determined, fabric color and pattern can be chosen. Darker fabrics are easier to see through, to the outside, maximizing the view. Lighter colored fabrics allow visible light to enter but slightly reduce the view. Light fabric is appropriate when eliminating exterior distractions is desired.

How the screen can be operated:

Small Exterior or interior screens can be motorized or operated manually. Motorization is recommended for larger screen systems. They can be activated by a wall mounted or a hand held transmitter, or automatically by sunlight, temperature or home automation systems like Somfy’s Tahoma system.

Window Awnings

A Maxi or Combi retractable window awning from Sunair® is the ideal solution for complete solar control and privacy in your home. The awnings can be lowered to any position to provide as little or as much sunlight as you want. With traditional awning flair, this modern mechanism is easy to operate, and eliminates seasonal removal and storage. When not in use, the fabric is rolled up and protected by an optional hood or cassette.

Awnings in normal extended position A Maxi or Combi retractable window awning from Sunair® is the ideal solution for complete solar control and privacy in your home. The awnings can be lowered to any position to provide as little or as much sunlight as you want. With traditional awning flair, this modern mechanism is easy to operate, and eliminates seasonal removal and storage. When not in use, the fabric is rolled up and protected by an optional hood or cassette.

Awnings in normal extended position Awnings lowered to 60° for privacy

Awnings lowered to 60° for privacy

Features:

• Reduced Cooling costs
• Filter or block sunlight and glare through window
• Fully retractable, eliminating seasonal storage of awnings
• Can be lowered like a shade to create privacy
• Manual or motorized with remote control available
• Hundreds of fabric colors to choose from
• Seven standard frame colors
• Custom frame colors available

The SUNAIR® Pergola® Awning is the ultimate system for larger residential spaces and restaurant cafés. Our Pergola® Awning is available in many models to best fit your needs and budget. These systems are designed for larger spaces and can be used both as sun protection and inclement rain protection, with integrated gutters to disperse water. All Pergola® models are custom built to fit your area. Model will be chosen based upon size and features, and whether the awning can be mounted to the wall or needs to be a free standing and a self-supported system. Your choice of system will also depend If you want to add Roll down bug screens, or cold weather zipper screens with windows to create a three season room. Multiple units can also be mounted together with a gutter systems to cover even larger areas.

Some smaller pergola awning systems can be manually operated with a hand crank. Larger pergola awning systems are conveniently operated with an integrated tubular motor which is controlled by a hand held remote. With the remote the Pergola® will extend and retract automatically.

For restaurants and cafés, these awnings are quickly becoming fashionable. Protecting your guests and outdoor seating area during fierce mid-day sun and inclement weather keeps your patrons happy and comfortable. Being able to continue serving on the patio generates increased revenue even during inclement weather which is also good for the bottom line.

Feel free to inquire with your SUNAIR® pergola awning expert which system is best for you.