What are the best window treatments for energy-efficient temperature regulation?
Up to 50 percent of a home’s heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows. Today’s modern window treatments offer more energy efficiency than ever before with products like Silhouette Window Shadings, Vignette Modern Roman Shades and Designer Screen Shades. I think the most energy-efficient product on the market is a honeycomb shade design.
One example is the Hunter Douglas Duette Architella Honeycomb shade, which contains a ‘honeycomb-inside-a-honeycomb’ design to create three insulating pockets of air. This reduces both heat and cold loss at the window to help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And you can get an energy efficient tax credit.
This design also hides the shade cords inside the middle honeycomb, or you can choose a cordless or motorized lifting system. The motorized option can be used with your phone or tablet and even Amazon Alexa. Shades with a Mylar center provide great room darkening.
—rachel segall, vp of operations, victor shade company
Window treatments provide so much more than style. Now, energy efficiency also is an important factor. Replacing older windows can provide better insulation, but new windows still can be responsible for up to half of a home’s energy loss. There are several effective window treatments that provide good temperature regulation. Shades that offer a dual layer prevent up to 40 percent of heat loss during the frigid winter months and up to 80 percent of solar heat gain during hot and humid St. Louis summers, which helps with energy consumption and can directly affect your energy costs.
If you want to maximize energy efficiency throughout your home, my personal suggestion would be Powerview motorization. Using your smartphone, you can automatically raise and lower your shades at scheduled times, so you come home to a comfy atmosphere.
Shutters, Roman shades and new cellular roller shades are other examples of excellent ways to deal with temperature fluctuations and light control. Energy-efficient shades or blinds may cost a little more up front, but they are worth it in the long run.
—libby blake, designer, show me blinds & shutters
