Southern Shade only uses Phifer brand screening material. We also use 1 inch framing on our solar screens. This gives much better support. Our "colonial lites" also known as the grid work is interlocked with each other where they cross. This also gives extremely better support when the wind blows against the screens. 

We are a preffered dealer for our screen manufacturer.

You can feel confident knowing that your screen purchase and installation will be done by a professional with screens made at a factory and not in a garage.

Why use solar screens?

There are films, shutters, blinds and several other methods of blocking UV rays, including the oh so attractive alluminium foil look. For most home and business owners the right choice is solar screens, because of their effectiveness, investment return and attractiveness. Outdoors, solar screens can dramatically enhance the look of old windows while turning a single pane 1/8 clear glass window into a window that is effective at blocking UV rays as a new expensive low E window. They color coordinate the windows of new homes to the trim of your home while providing a UV blocking window treatment that does not void the manufacturers warranty. Indoors, they help protect expensive floors, furniture, paintings, electronic equipment ect. from the damaging effects of UV rays and heat. This damage is usually not realized until it is to late. Also, they block that annoying glare on your television!! Window tint does not do this!  And finally the most popular reason to buy solar screens is the money you will save on your electric bill during our blistering Houston summers! You can expect to save 20 to 40 % on you electric bills in the summer depending on your situation.

     You can walk into two houses, one with solar screens, one without, both thermostats set to 75 degrees. You would think that both houses would feel the same because of the thermostat controlling the temperature. This is not true. The house with solar screens will be cooler because they allow the AC to keep a consistent temperature through out the house for a longer period of time without cycling. The house without solar screens will tend to have areas of the home that are warmer than others while the AC constantly fights against the UV rays and radiant heat to keep it all cool.  

Why use solar screens over window tint?

This is probably one of the most debated subjects in the industry. The latest sales pitch from the window tint camp is that today's low E windows are perfectly safe to tint due to drastic changes in the way they make their film. If you walk the latest home shows you will be amazed how their sales pitch could rival that of a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman toting statistics and satisfied customer testimonials. The bottom line is still this, if you are trying to sort through it all, just call your window manufacturer and talk to them. The tint will build up heat against the low E glass and may cause seal failure or window cracking, I personally have seen this happen!  Tinting also highlights imperfections in the glass itself, which is why the tint manufacturers say you are supposed to look through the tinted window and not at it, because if you look AT a tinted window you will see particles from glue and imperfections in the glass. Unlike window tinting, solar screens block the harmful ultra violet rays BEFORE they ever reach your window, thus preventing radiant heat from the window itself getting into your home. We haven't even mentioned the cost differences. Window tinting will almost always cost you more. The initial cost is usually  25  to 150 % more! Plus, future electric bills could be higher than those with solar screens due to the radiant heat passed through to the home. In the winter time when you may want to take advantage of some of that sun light to heat your home. You can remove your screens in just a few minutes and put them back up in summer. If you ever want to remove the tint, it is a very time consuming and messy job and they are down for good.

Colors available for Solar Screen

The  standard frames are available in: ( "Mill" is the color of aluminum ) , ( "Bronze" is very dark brown ) , "White", ( "Tan" is light beige ), and ( "Champagne" is dark beige or taupe ) and "Black" is available for slightly more.