A fabric mesh is used to make the screen. Depending on the density of the mesh, the screen will have a certain amount of light control and view through abilities. The official term for this variability of screen density is described as openness. A percentage of openness is calculated for each degree of change in light control and visibility. So basically, the higher the percentage of openness the more light you will allow in to your room and the more you will be able to see out. The openness factor is the most crucial element in choosing your solar screen. If you have great views you will want to have a high percentage of openness like a 10 or 12 %. For rooms that do not have great views and are only concerned with light control should choose a 3 or 4% openness factor. This will reduce glare, reduce solar heat gain, and block harmful UV Rays.

By blocking UV Rays and reducing solar heat gain, solar screens improve the energy efficiency of your home. These solar shades will significantly lower your need for central air conditioning therefore making your home more energy efficient. They will also prevent the UV rays from damaging your skin and your home furniture.

Some optional upgrades include cordless loop and motorization. Both of these features improve the child safety of your home by eliminating long dangling cords. The cordless loop features a looped cord that never changes in length regardless of whether the screen is open or closed. If your window is hard to reach or very large consider adding motorization to your solar shade for convenient operation. This screen will be adjusted with the use of a remote control from any room in the house.

Available in a wide range of colors and styles, solar screens are just as stylish and appealing as they are functional. Fabric patterns include solids, stripes, and weaves to match any type of home decor all the way from traditional to contemporary. By using solar screens you will be adding a lovely finishing touch and accenting the other elements of your room very nicely.

Overall, solar screens, often referred to as solar shades, are the recommended window shades for your living room, family room, and media/entertainment rooms. These screens will keep the room at a comfortable temperature, block damaging UV rays, reduce glare, improve energy efficiency and provide appealing looks all while still allowing you to maintain your view. Solar screens are offered from all the leading industry brands at very affordable prices.

This is a guest post written by Michael Callicotte, who works for Blinds Galore.

Photo Credits: tom.arthur

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Originally posted 2010-04-05 19:53:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• 9 Ways to Reduce Heating Costs There are a number of techniques that you can do to reduce your heating costs. Here is a list of tips and techniques to give you the ability to reduce your heating bill. 1 - Find a warm pair of socks. Sounds silly, but feet that are cold will send......
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To start with some easy steps you can take to green your home, a simple change of appliances can make a huge difference. Energy efficient appliances have come a long way and not only do they help the environment, but they also greatly cut down on your energy bills. The initial cost of buying brand new appliances, such as a washer and dryer or a refrigerator, can be high, but eventually you’ll make back what you spent with what you save on electricity. If you don’t have enough to buy brand new appliances, look into older models of energy efficient appliances. They will still use less energy than your current appliances but will cost less than buying them brand new.

Another possibility which you can either do yourself or hire someone to help you with is to replace your windows and doors. The materials of the windows and doors aren’t exactly environmentally friendly, but by replacing your old ones you will cut down on the energy use and thus green your home. Many new windows and doors have been designed so that they let light in without letting heat in, saving you money on cooling in the summer. They also are sturdy and don’t have leaks in them so the comfortable temperature stays in your home. The cost of materials isn’t too expensive so if you can do it yourself you will find it to be a rather cheap project. However, if you aren’t sure you can install them properly you should hire someone to do it for you despite the costs so you don’t lose the desired effect of keeping air in.

If you have been meaning to replace any of the floors in your house, you could use this time as an opportunity to green your home. Rather than getting carpeting or hardwood floors, you can use bamboo flooring instead. Bamboo is a renewable source that grows much faster than trees do so when you use it for your floors, you are saving a few trees. Bamboo flooring comes in a few different colors and resembles hardwood floors. It is also an inexpensive way to replace your floors since it can be cheaper than some of the wood flooring options available. This is another project that you can handle yourself if you know how to tear up your old floor because there are many do it yourself kits for bamboo flooring. Most flooring companies are well trained in laying down bamboo flooring and have it for an option if you’d feel safer hiring someone to do it.

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Photo Credits: moonlightbulb

Originally posted 2009-09-03 12:49:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Using Home Improvement Centers Effectively Home improvement centers are all over the place these days. Even if you don’t contract them to do any work at your house, chances are very good that you are going to end up purchasing at least some of your raw materials from them. Depending on where in the country......
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Because of this, creating a recycling bin center at home could be a great idea for many people.  If more people had recycling bins that were easily accessible and simple to use, more people would begin to sort their trash.  Furthermore, constructing a recycling bin center doesn’t have to require any building skills or difficult work.  People can even select the style of bins that they like best.

Before Beginning

While virtually everyone is able to recycle paper through either curbside pickup or through taking it to a recycling center, other items may or may not be recyclable in certain areas.  Therefore, it is best to check with the municipality to note what can be recycled in the area.  In addition, find out how often recyclables are picked up, if there is pickup service, as this may affect the size of the bins to be used in creating the recycling bin center.

It is also important to learn whether or not the municipality requires sorting of the recyclables.  This will affect the number of bins used in the recycling bin center.  If sorting is not required, two bins will be needed, one for trash and one for recyclables.  If sorting is required, four bins will be necessary—one each for metal, plastic, glass, and garbage.  As far as paper items go, it may be a good idea to use a different type of bin for these items, one that is not with the recycling bin center.  Because paper recyclables tend to be newspapers and magazines for the most part, placing a heavy-duty (but attractive) basket where these items are read is generally best.

Choosing Recycling Bins

Small households that do not sort recyclables should look for bins that are 27-quart in size.  Households that sort all trash into bins should also look for that size in bins.  Larger bins would be recommended for families that have kids or pets.

If there is not much space in which to place the bins, it is best to look for bins that will stack.  Otherwise, the only criterion is to make sure to choose recycling bins that are simple to use and simple to empty.  It has been said that most people fail to recycle because the separating of recyclable items is inconvenient; therefore, it is imperative to choose bins that will make recycling as simple as throwing away trash.

The recycling bins should be placed in the kitchen, if possible, as this is where most food is prepared.  If that isn’t possible, place the bins in a room adjacent to the kitchen.

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Originally posted 2009-09-07 06:53:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Home There are a wide variety of different things that you can do to improve your home. There are probably dozens of small steps that could be taken today to enrich the quality of your home. Here are three simple ways to improve your home, which can be accomplished in as......
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Green roofs fall into two general categories: intensive and extensive. Intensive green roofing has at least a foot of soil on the roof and can really sustain a garden. Several different plant species can grow on an intensive group at one time. But as you can imagine, the weight of a foot of soil requires special structural supports and braces. And this type of roof takes a lot of maintenance and upkeep. These are the rare form of green roofing.

Extensive roofs, on the other hand, are becoming more and more common as the world becomes more environmentally aware. On these roofs, the soil only needs to be a few inches deep, and typically only certain species of plants, usually sedums, are grown. The plants that are grown on extensive green roofing are hardy, hard-to-kill plants that can flourish under almost any conditions.

Benefits of Green Roofing

One of the benefits of a green roof is much less stormwater runoff. The roofing material beneath the protective layer and the soil is no longer exposed to sunlight, which breaks roofing down. This means you'll replace roofing materials less frequently, which saves you money and spares the landfill. A roof with growing vegetation stays cooler, which keeps the home a little cooler as well. It serves as an extra layer of insulation. Green roofing attracts birds and animals, giving them back some of their habitat that has been lost. In some parts of Europe, people even let goats graze on their roofs.

Do You Have to Weed and Mow Green Roofing?

If you're picturing yourself trying to balance on your roof while killing dandelions with a weed popper or pushing a mower, don't worry: the shallow soil inhibits weed growth, and sedums are the typical plant life, which only grow to a certain height.

The biggest problem with green roofing is the impracticality of installing one on an existing structure. Because the roof wasn't built to support the kind of weight that 3 or 4 inches of rain-soaked soil creates, the roof of a home would almost have to be rebuilt. Green roofing is also currently much more expensive than a traditional roof, and not many contractors have dealt with installing one.

Certain types of roofs like steeply pitched or oddly angled roofing also present challenges for retrofitting a green roof. A contractor or architect experienced with these roofs would need to carefully evaluate a structure before changes could be made. But if you're planning new construction and you can find an architect experienced with green roofing, it's one option to consider.

Photo Credits: eaallen

Originally posted 2009-09-24 06:54:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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An example of a green home improvement project that would be in common with a money-saving DIY strategy would be the replacement of incandescent light bulbs in your house.  These light bulbs are the classic ones that people have been using for many years now.  While they are certainly cheaper in the short term, they are less efficient with both energy and heat and therefore are far more expensive over the long term.  If you replaced those light bulbs with ones that were fluorescent or had other forms of lighting, what you would very quickly discover is that you would save money both on energy and on the purchase of light bulbs since the new ones would last longer due to the better efficiency.

However, not all green home improvement projects are going to show these types of financial gains.  Things like windmill, geothermal and solar panel installation, while certainly great investments for the long term, are nevertheless not the greatest short term or money-saving investments that you could make.  In fact, with the technology still in the process of being developed in a big way, you could very well lose money on the first generation solar and wind installations that you do.  This is less likely with the geothermal earth energy options, but those usually require huge up front funds.  Keep in mind as well that many of these green projects are not really suitable for DIY, forcing you to spend even more money if you want them to take place.

This is not to disparage the green home improvement movement.  In fact, we applaud anyone that cares enough about the Earth in order to actually go out and do something about it in home improvement terms.  But as someone that is turning to DIY in an attempt to save money during a recession, it would be remiss of us not to point out that going for some of the green projects would essentially wipe out any financial gains you felt from the rest of your DIY projects.  Therefore, you should seriously consider avoiding many of these projects until after the recessionary times have passed.

If you feel conflicted about the green home improvement projects mentioned above, you can rest assured that you are not alone.  Lots of debate about the merits versus costs of installing these types of equipment during a recession can be found on the internet.  We have given you our view, but in the end the only one that matters is yours.

Photo Credits: Hitchster

Originally posted 2009-08-31 09:21:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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