Do it Yourself Solar Window Screens
- By adding solar screens to your home, you can cool the temperature within your home by about 15 degrees, according to QualityWindowScreen.com. Additionally, solar window screens can help reduce energy costs by about 30% to 35% within a home. The window screen protects the furniture within your home because it reflects UV light that typically fades fabric. Among other advantages, the solar window screen provides privacy by acting like "sunglasses" for your home and prevents neighbors from looking into your home.
- Solar window screens are relatively simple to make and design and can be made from various framing materials. You can make your solar window screen from either wood or aluminum. A solar window screen made from wood requires a wood frame, four pieces of wood trim, staples, and a staple gun. You will need to obtain aluminum frames; typically, you can obtain these from a do-it-yourself solar window screen kit. You will also need a spline (rubber cord) and a spline roller.
- Makee sure the wood frame fits behind your window. It should replace your typical window screen. Cut the solar window screen mesh material slightly larger than the frame itself and staple the mesh material tightly along the wood frame. You can use the wood trim to cover the ragged edges of the mesh material.
- It is best to obtain a do-it-yourself kit for the aluminum solar window screens because the aluminum is prefabricated to fit within a standard window. You may need to cut the aluminum down to fit your own window, but this should be relatively straightforward. The kit will provide hinges that will attach the pieces of the frame. Stretch the solar screen over the aluminum and cut it slightly larger than the frame. Take the spline and push it and the solar fabric into the groove on the inside of the aluminum frame. Trim the excess fabric.
