Most of the energy lost from our homes literally goes out the windows.  Therefore, the right window coverings can be a great way to help limit our losses.  There is a wide range of window coverings available that are energy efficient – some better than others.

In the cold months of winter we are looking for a product with a high R-value.  R-value measures a product’s resistance to heat flow.  The higher the R-value, the more insulation the product provides and the better it is at reducing heat loss.

In the summer we are looking to keep our homes from heating up throughout the day.  Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is the amount of solar heat that passes through a window, where 0 = none and 1 = all.  The lower a product’s SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits, which can help a home stay cool in the hot summer months.

Hunter Douglas has developed a product that excels in both R-Value and SHGC, the Duette Architella Honeycomb Shade.  The original honeycomb shades offered energy efficiency by creating a pocket of air.  The Architella has improved on this design by adding a cell within a cell creating 3 air pockets.  In this case, more is better.  The Duette Architella provides a total R-Value of 7.86. Additionally, this redesigned product has a very good SHGC of .15.

By no means is the honeycomb shade your only alternative for an energy efficient window covering.  We at Spectrum Window Design believe selecting the right window covering is a balance between function and fashion.  Give us a call and we will be happy to show you products that save energy and look great too.

Architella