October 13, 2010

"A Fist Full of Dollars" Energy Savings for Installed Solar Screens

You'll get a Fist Full of Dollars from your energy savings, which equals money in your brogans once you install SunBlox solar screens on all of your South, East, & West facing windows and doors. 


Keep the sun out,  and keep the greenbacks in your pocket!  Make my Day! 
Call SunBlox now! 

October 10, 2010

Florida Statute 163.04

Per the Florida Statute below - a homeowner's association (HOA) , condo association, or deed restricted community can't prevent a homeowner from utilizing or installing energy efficient products on their home to reduce energy consumption.  This includes clotheslines, solar screens, and other products used for reduced power consumption.  Please use your own discretion and ask for legal consul if you have questions.  

 

 

163.04  Energy devices based on renewable resources.-- 

 (1)  Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or other provision of general or special law, the adoption of an ordinance by a governing body, as those terms are defined in this chapter, which prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources is expressly prohibited. 

(2)  No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements. A property owner may not be denied permission to install solar collectors or other energy devices based on renewable resources by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property with respect to residential dwellings not exceeding three stories in height. For purposes of this subsection, such entity may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45° east or west of due south provided that such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors. 

(3)  In any litigation arising under the provisions of this section, the prevailing party shall be entitled to costs and reasonable attorney's fees. 
(4)  The legislative intent in enacting these provisions is to protect the public health, safety, and welfare by encouraging the development and use of renewable resources in order to conserve and protect the value of land, buildings, and resources by preventing the adoption of measures which will have the ultimate effect, however unintended, of driving the costs of owning and operating commercial or residential property beyond the capacity of private owners to maintain. This section shall not apply to patio railings in condominiums, cooperatives, or apartments.

 

 

 





Solar screens installed on a pool home with Phifer Solar Screen material.   We have found homes with swimming pools and homes on lakes have a more intense blast of  sun.  Sort of a double whammy!   Customers with homes close to water  get direct sunlight hitting their glass windows or doors like any other home - the sun hits the glass, heating the glass, radiating into the room space as  heat-gain.  However, the water reflects the sun's rays creating glare and heat as well.  Water in close proximity exaggerates the effects of the summer sun causing added heat-gain and glare.  Installed SunBlox solar screens can eliminate the negative effects of the summer sun by stopping the sun's rays from hitting your glass,  reducing glare to almost zero, and will STOP fading on your carpets, rugs, and art work. 
 Call SunBlox today to get a grip on your heat-gain and power bill issues.  407.963.1460

Northwest Hospital - Seattle, Washington

 In August 2010 SunBlox Solar Screens fabricated & shipped an order of our sunscreens to Northwest Hospital in Seattle, Washington.  The solar screens were shipped via UPS Ground service. 


NORTHWEST HOSPITAL
1550 NORTH 115TH STREET
SEATTLE, WA 98133

Bolen Office Supply

Bolen Office Supply has recently ordered a roll-down shade from SunBlox.  Bolen will use the shade for their drive-thru window.   They have chosen the Phifer Sheerweave 2100 Series, Charcoal color

Bolen Office Supply located at:  114 South Main - Pratt, Kansas

October 8, 2010

Southern Oregon Head Start





  
Contact SOCFC at:     http://www.socfc.org


 SunBlox has recently shipped an order of solar screens to Central Point, Oregon for sun control use in the Southern Oregon Head Start program. 

October 7, 2010

A Recent SunBlox Solar Screen Installation in Winter Park, Florida

September '10  -  Winter Park, Florida

SunBlox Line of Solar Screens Receive Energy Efficient Certification

SunBlox’s Line of Solar Screens Receive Energy Efficient Certification

Purchase and Installation Costs Eligible for 30 Percent Tax Credit in D.O.E. Zones 1-3
Orlando, Florida, for immediate release — October 6, 2010 SunBlox Solar Screens, a solar screen fabrication and installation company, today announced that the manufacturers of sun control materials offered by SunBlox now provides a manufacturer’s certification statement for compliance with the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Homeowners that purchase and install the energy efficient solar screens sold and installed by SunBlox and manufactured by Phifer Incorporated are eligible for a federal tax credit of thirty percent up to a total of $1500.00. Eligible homeowners must live in zones 1-3 of the United States as defined by Department of Energy.

Solar screening materials available through SunBlox Solar Screens are capable of blocking up to ninety percent of the sun’s radiant heat resulting in the lowering of homeowner utility bills. The energy efficient tax credit certification is a designation that the manufacturers of solar screens have sought for several years. “A home’s most vulnerable area for solar heat gain comes in the form of sunlight radiating through unprotected glass, “ said Andrew Caldwell, Corporate Market Manager - Sun Control Products for Phifer Incorporated. “Controlling solar heat gain, especially in the warm climates that span the southern United States, is extremely important in energy conservation. Since our sun control materials are designed to reduce solar heat gain, they can help lower a homeowner’s energy costs.”

In a separate initiative, Congress has allocated $5 billion for the Obama administration’s Weatherization

Assistance Program (WAP), which seeks to retrofit low-income family homes with products to make them

more energy efficient. While the tax credit for solar screens only applies to those homes located in zones 1- 3, the materials do offer a lower priced alternative to more expensive energy efficient glass in all regions of the country. SunBlox proudly utilizes these products and services to help make homes more energy efficient.


“Solar screens can be purchased and installed for about a sixth of the cost of low-e glass,” said Keith Freeman, Owner of SunBlox Solar Screens. “The tax credit available to eligible homeowners and the use of the materials within the weatherization program, promises to extend energy savings even further.” In addition to the materials ability to block much of the sun’s thermal energy from radiating through windows, solar screens are also effective in limiting the damage done to furniture, carpet, wall hangings and paint as a result of damaging UV light entering a home.


SunBlox is a full-service home efficiency products and services consultation company that provides business owners and home owners with advice on how to reduce their utility usage and raise the comfort level within their structure. SunBlox offers a variety of products from window screens, door screens, retractable window screens, porch and patio screens, sun control and insect screening that protects
against mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus. SunBlox is a family-owned company that is headquartered in the Orlando, Florida area and has provided energy efficiency services to homeowners and commercial storefront owners throughout Central and South Florida since 2005. SunBlox also fabricates & ships to all states in the U.S.

To learn more about SunBlox, visit: www.SunBlox SolarScreens.com

October 6, 2010

Federal Tax Credit - IRS

MANUFACTURER’S CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
For Compliance With American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Phifer Incorporated certifies that Phifer fixed Solar Screens including SunScreen, SunTex 80, SunTex 90, Super Solar Screening, and Super Solar Screening + are “Eligible Building Envelope Components” that classify as an “insulation material or system” as defined in Section 4.01 of IRS Notice 2009-53 and as such qualify for a federal tax credit for Non-business Energy Credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 25C as modifi ed by Section 1121 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The qualifying fixed Solar Screen products must be externally mounted covering the entire window opening and used in accordance to all manufactures instructions. Solar Screens qualify for tax credits in Climate Zones 1-3. Solar Screens only qualify with single pane glass in Zone 1. Solar Screens must be installed with double pane insulated glass in Zone 2 and 3 to qualify. The U.S. Climate Zones are illustrated in the map on page 2. This certifi cation statement meets the prescriptive criteria for such material or system established by the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, as such Code that was in effect on the date of the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.


Hop Valley Brewing Company


SunBlox has recently completed a solar screen order to Hop Valley Brewing Company in Springfield, Oregon. Hop Valley's order was brought to us by ES&A Sign & Awning Co. in Eugene, Oregon.


Karan Freeman - Marketing Director

We welcome Karan to our SunBlox team. She brings many good ideas and qualifications to the table.

A native Floridian whose education, career path and curiosity have led her to traverse the world from the NYSE's most inner circle on Wall Street to Marketing, Design and Theatrical Management in Los Angeles, to the far reaches of Indonesia and Brasil. She returned to Orlando in 1997.

One of Orlando's most respected Realtors® with $100 million in sales, Karan’s expertise is in marketing. Having served on the Board of Directors of such notable environmental organizations as EarthDay International, ProNatura International, & The Earth Communications Office along side celebrities like Charlton Heston, Morgan Fairchild, Tom Cruise, & Ron Howard; Karan has also spearheaded events on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme, Wildlife Conservation International, and The Earth Summit in (Rio de Janiero) 1992. She is leveraging that experience to assist her husband Keith in his burgeoning “Green” business.

Taking SunBlox from a local custom fabricator to a national fulfillment center of pre-sized screens is her primary objective right now. According to Karan, “Making screens in prototypical sizes is more cost effective for both SunBlox and the consumer. Customers will be able to order on-line, choose their shipping method, then receive & install themselves. That is my ultimate goal.” She continues, “Saving energy by reducing cooling costs is perhaps the most effective change we can make to lighten our ecological footprint. This is a goal I have long been committed to.”

August 24, 2009

Lake Nona installation

SunBlox solar screens offer an easy and practical method for improving the energy efficiency of windows and glass doors. In the summer, most unwanted heat gain comes in the form of sunlight radiating through unprotected glass. This glass is a building's most vulnerable area for heat gain. In fact, 60 square feet of glass can admit as much as 12,000 BTU's of heat each hour requiring one extra ton of air conditioning (East Facing, 8a.m., Latitude 40° N.). Controlling this solar heat gain is extremely important in energy conservation and passive solar design.

August 23, 2009

Weatherization program drops $7.7M into Central Florida


Orlando Business Journal article about SunBlox

Friday, July 10, 2009

About $7.7 million in federal stimulus funds is being targeted to improve the energy efficiency of low-income homes in Central Florida, bringing much-needed jobs to home improvement contractors.

The Weatherization Assistance Program funds are part of $175 million the state is expected to receive in two $87.5 million increments.

The Florida Division of Housing & Community Development said Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties will receive the funding this year to help retrofit low-income houses with energy-efficient equipment such as solar screening, repair or replace water heaters, and install attic and floor insulation as well as new heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The funding can be expected to create up to 215 jobs, according to a widely accepted U.S. government formula of 28 jobs per $1 million in project cost.

Four of the 29 Florida-based organizations that will receive funding are located in Central Florida. They include the Orange County Housing & Community Development Office, Osceola County Council on Aging Inc., Meals on Wheels Etc. and Lake Community Action Agency Inc.

Bill Pass, program manager of housing rehabilitation for Orange County, said the funding should help local organizations improve low-income houses.

In Orange County alone, Pass said there are more than 300 homes that require weatherization upgrades. Bids for those properties should go out by fourth-quarter 2009.

Osceola County has another 150 homes awaiting work that will be bid to the private sector, said Larry Belisle, weatherization program coordinator for the Osceola County Council on Aging Inc.

The economic pressure on low-income homes has caused new applications for assistance to triple from 60 in 2008 to 150 now, he said. “There’s always a need for this work, but now there’s so much more because of this economic recession.”

The work will also help create much-needed work for private-sector contractors.

That’s good news for Chuck Kulp, president of Orlando-based Energy Air Inc., a 350-employee residential and commercial HVAC contractor. Kulp hopes to snag some of the work.

Since the recession began, Kulp said his residential division went from nearly $13 million in volume in 2006 to $4 million this year. The work coming from the Weatherization Assistance Program “would be a big opportunity for us,” Kulp said.

The same is true for smaller contractors such as Sun Blox Inc., a three-person, Ocoee-based residential and commercial solar screen installer.

“This would be a great opportunity for us since we’re a small business looking for whatever we can bid on,” said owner Keith Freeman.

http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2009/07/13/story1.html

Clermont, FL. installation

A recent SunBlox installation in Clermont, FL. This customer is so very happy with effects of solar screens!!!!!

Installation in Viera, FL.

Solar Screens Are Like A Big Shade Tree!
The most effective way to control the sun's heat and glare is to stop it before it enters your window. Once the sun's rays enter your windows, they are absorbed and begin to radiate throughout the room in the form of heat. Much like a big shade tree, exterior shading will reduce your cooling costs, reduce the load on your air conditioning, and will eliminate glare and fading.