Alexbc - what did you end up going with and how do you like the solar shades? I'm trying to make the same decision. Thanks.

To add color to this discussion: I have a mid-century modern house that is 1 story, and my living room has a wall of glass overlooking a public park. I waited until night time, turned on all my lights, taped up solar screen swatches, had my spouse stand in front of the windows, and then I went outside into the park to see how much privacy we'd have. A 10% open swatch made it impossible to see anything in any meaningful detail. All I could see of my spouse was a shadowy figure. If I went right up to the glass, it was no different. If my spouse shined a flash light directly on her face, I could make out some detail when I was close - like standing in the yard. But otherwise, none.

Chris - thanks so much for the thoughtful review and detailed explanation. I have abedroom window that's 96" x 132". So far the only company I found that could provide a solar shade of that size was The Shade Store. I don't want to split up the windows or have a seam. Would you be willing to tell me which company you used?

Sure, blinds.com.

I too am in the market for roller shades and can't decide between 5% and 3%. I'm also concerned about bleaching effect of the sun on some artwork and the dark wooden floors that I have. The guy I'm working with says 5% is not effective but rather the 3% is. However I like the color in 5% and that is not available in 3%. Any insight in to choose the right color shades will be helpful.. TIA .. Usha

Sreepad - see Treadwell's answer above, which I found pretty helpful. We worked with several blinds people & companies and I have to say, when we asked the question of 3 vs 5%, almost everyone indicated it makes a negligible difference at best and both are equally sufficient. Guess it just comes down to which side you want to err on: more visibility (5%) vs more blockage (3%). Good luck.

I am also considering solar blinds for our bedroom. Do 1% blinds block out enough light in the morning or afternoon for a nap?

Yes 1% would block out enough.

Is there much light that comes in at the edges of the shades?

I recommend deciding your primary objectives for each room: light control, privacy vs. view, heat/glare reduction, style. For example, for our home, we decided:

• Public spaces (living, kitchen, dining, nook): heat/glare reduction, preserve view

• Private spaces: privacy, light control

In our home we decided on blackout shades in bedrooms for privacy and light control, and solar shades in the public spaces at 10% openness. We already have window film that reduces heat/UV by about 50%, so with the solar shades, we net 95% reduction in UV/heat without having to go with less openness. And we don't completely obscure our views.

Smith & Noble now has "Solar Dual Shades," allowing you to get blackout (for absolute light control and privacy) and solar shades for different times of day.

Regarding privacy, another factor to consider is the distance between the eye and the shades. The closer you get to a mesh, the more clearly you can see through it. So if you live in a high-rise, I'm pretty sure you can count on near complete privacy even at 10% openness, but if someone can walk right up to your window, they might be able to see a LOT more clearly than from across the street.

Thinking of buying solar shades for a 75" sliding glass door It is to block out the suns rays and heat as we eat dinner. It is a western view with no concern for privacy at all. Should I get a 3%, 5% or can I go with higher? It is very hot and the sun beats in.

Sadly, the tiny swatches they send you don't give you a good sense of how the whole blind will look/work. You pretty much have to take your best guess!

We did tint our northwest facing windows to reduce heat by about 50%, but it's still very hot in the late afternoon sun. I was planning on going 10 or 14% openness to preserve the view, but the samples I got show you can't see much of the view even at 10% with the sun glaring in, so I'm thinking of just getting 3-5% and just leaving them up 90% of the day, only closing them in the late afternoon.

Thanks for the response

Thanks for such a detailed explanation of solar shades FROM THE OUTSIDE. A review such as yours is startling scarce on the web.

Hi! I am installing charcoal shades in our bedroom—deciding between 1% and 3%. I’m not worried about the privacy factor as much as how well they will keep out the morning sunlight. We are still using the ones that were here when we moved in. They are opaque white roller shades and keep the room very dark which is nice. I like the looks of the 3% but think 1% might be the smarter way to go. Any feedback welcome!

hi Kate. Are your shades dark or light? i am looking at Charcoal 3% solar shades. i have a western view of the ocean and need to block the sun glare in the evening. Would still like to see view.

Kathyday, these are Hunter Douglas 3% solar shades. These are west facing morning light, so it is not a direct light now. You can vaguely see the building next door.

These are 3% solar panels downstairs in the afternoon and the darker one is evening. Another west facing window. Hope that helps.

I have roll-up solar shades on four 9’ windows facing a city-to-ocean view. I don’t remember the visibility percentage, but we can see (with the shades down) the view during the day and city lights at night, so I am guessing the “openness” percentage is higher rather than lower. There is a long 8’-wide covered porch which blocks any glaring sunlight. Surely the sales person can bring large enough samples of the roller fabric for you to get a good idea of how much you can see. Our neighbors can see in only from their pool patio, and that isn’t much of a problem.

amchogan - what did you end up going with and is your room dark enough in the morning to keep one from waking up? Our guest rooms are west facing with no need for privacy, but get glaring sun in the afternoon and are quite light early in the morning (like 4:30 AM) even though we are west facing. I do not want blackout curtains though... Am curious to see what has worked for others.

We are in a building with eastern facing windows debating openess for the living room and a second bedroom used primarily as an office We have desks that face the windows so the morning sun is bad must we get blackout to be able to work?