Score Energy Efficiency with Your Window Treatments

Your windows are a thin barrier between you and the outside world, and how you dress them affects your comfort level inside your home. blinds, drapery, shades and shutters all impact your living space in subtle but important ways. 

Form Can Equal Function

Heat transfers through windows very easily. That can be a problem, especially during the more extreme weather months. When heat creeps through a window’s glass, it can warm adjoined rooms considerably. In the winter, heat will escape through that same glass, and temperatures will sink. 

The right window treatment will act as an insulator of sorts, trapping air between the treatment and the window. It can block heat from entering if you’re hoping to keep your room cool, or it can trap warmth for when you need some heat. 

You don’t need to stick with blackout shades or room darkening shades in every room to improve your home’s energy efficiency. You can select a design for your home that will fit your style and help keep your home eco-friendly. 

Roman Shades, for instance, can be hung strategically so that you can raise and lower them as the sun moves each day. The top-down, bottom-up mechanism in Roman Shades allows you to let the light in during the winter months to allow the sun to heat your home.

Your color choice can also make an impact. Choose a quilted material to absorb heat and reduce the effects of window leaks. 

Horizontal or vertical blinds also offer the most amount of control. These window options make it easy to manage the amount of light you let in and the direction of that light.

Know Your Hanging Choices

Once you’ve picked out the best shades for your home, there are a couple of different options to hang your window shades: inside or outside of the window frame. Hang shades outside the frame to keep out the most light. For energy efficiency, hang shades as close to the window as possible. Keeping shades inside the frame helps avoid drafts in the winter and keeps your air conditioning inside in the summer. 

Cellular shades are an excellent option for oddly shaped windows. You can choose the color and density of the shades to control the amount of light entering the space. (As cellular shades hang without cords, these are also perfect if you’re trying to control the temperature in your child’s room.)

More Control = Lower Bills

All of these benefits will increase your home’s energy efficiency significantly. By controlling light and heat transfer, you can maintain indoor comfort more consistently. That means your heating or cooling equipment will work that much less to maintain your family’s desired degree of comfort.