Types Of Energy Efficient Blinds For Home
Feb 17, 2022Owning a home can oftentimes be different from what you might think. Apart from regular maintenance and repairs, you also need to keep an eye on energy costs. Fortunately, window blinds have become a viable way of reducing energy costs. If you’re someone looking for new window blinds, energy efficient blinds for your home are the way to go.
As much as 50% of your home’s heating and cooling can be lost through your windows. As a result it costs you extra to recover that lost energy! This is where energy efficient blinds come in. They save that lost energy and make your house more efficient and economical. In this article, we are going to discuss different types of Energy Efficient blinds for your home to make it easier for you to choose the right one according to your needs. So, without further ado, let’s dive into it!
TYPES OF ENERGY EFFICIENT BLINDS FOR YOUR HOME
There are many types of energy efficient blinds in New York’s market. But for the scope of this article, we’ll be having a look at the 5 most prominent and tending types of energy efficient blinds, namely: solar shades, cellular shades, insulating blinds, drapery, and smart blinds. Let us read more about these energy efficient blinds for homes.
1- Solar Shades
Solar shades are an effective energy efficient solution. They act as an insulator whilst allowing you a view of the outside. The pivotal purpose of solar shades is to block out harmful UV rays. They do so by using a translucent material that can have variable levels of opacity. These range from dark opaque materials to almost transparent options. They’re primarily made of a fabric that is purposely designed for this task. Solar shade fabric is woven in a special manner – it filters light as it passes through.
One downside of solar shades is that when the sun goes down, the lights from inside the room allow people from outside to see inside. So, you should keep privacy in mind when installing solar shades. The shades help reflect off heat in the summers, keeping the room relatively cool. In winters, the same shades can help trap in heat and keep the room relatively warm. Thus, solar shades provide a comfortable environment all year round on top of saving energy.
2- Cellular Shades
Not many of you might remember, but the world went through an energy crisis in the 1970s! To avert this disaster, we made cellular shades, a window covering option consumers can install in their homes to save energy and produce a comfortable environment. Commonly known as the ‘honeycomb’ blinds, cellular shades have little compartments of trapped air in them in the shape of a honeycomb.
These little pockets of air act as insulators, trapping heat within. This allows your room to remain warm in winters and cool in summers. The fabric also allows light to pass through, thus creating a warm ambient glow in your room. In short, cellular shades are energy efficient blinds for your home designed to avert an energy crisis!
3- Insulating Blinds
Insulating blinds are usually constructed in horizontal or vertical slat orientation. Due to their specific design, insulating blinds are much more effective at reducing heat gain in the summers than reducing heat loss in the winters. This behavior is primarily caused by the numerous openings in-between the blinds. This makes it difficult to counter heat loss.
Insulating blinds are usually made from a reflective material, and their incline is controllable; this enables the users to allow in varying levels of light. Since their surface is highly reflective, they block out heat from approaching sunlight and keep the room cool.
4- Drapery
A drapery is usually designed with a heavy, plain cloth that is long enough to touch the roof of your room and reach the floor. However, one thing to note is that oftentimes, a drapery will be almost opaque, which means that they will allow little to no light in your room once closed. This attribute of the drapery makes it perfectly well suited for bedrooms, where outside light can be an annoyance!
The great thing about draperies is that they’re available in a variety of cloth, including luxury materials like velvet or silk. Whatever the cloth you choose, a drapery is sure to give a formal appearance to your room.
5- Smart Blinds
Smart blinds are essentially conventional blinds but with a significant technological difference. They can be controlled through digital means. These digital means include using your smartphone, installed with a dedicated app, to lower or raise the blinds, or using voice commands to achieve the same result. Some types of smart blinds support commands through WIFI, while some may still rely on conventional Bluetooth control.
Whatever the case may be, smart blinds have an essential requirement added to them, and that is power. They must be constantly supplied with power to function as they were designed to. The type of power you want to choose totally depends on you and your needs. However, this technicality is something many clients are not aware of. So, if you aren’t sure about what kind of power you need, you must hire a professional to hardware the blinds in for them.
Smart blinds can come in many different colors. As a plus point, newer generations are coming with built-in support for Alexa or Google Home. The great thing about smart blinds you can utilize the smart integration feature with any of the smart home environment!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
When we analyze the choices we have, one thing becomes quite clear: energy efficient smart blinds for your home can prove to be pivotal in reducing energy costs as well as adding to the aesthetic of your home. In this modern-day and age, an energy efficient environment not only helps reduce costs but saves the environment from the added burden of energy generation, therefore making energy efficient blinds for your home an economical and Eco-friendly solution to the energy loss problem through windows.
When you look at the market, you may be faced with a variety of choices regarding window treatments. However, you must be very critical in your choice and go with the one that fits your needs and aesthetic the most. Furthermore, you need to consider buying blinds that are economical and effective. Rest assured, whatever your needs and style may be, you’ll be sure to find energy efficient window blinds for homes that match your requirements and keep you comfortable all year round at Alluring Windows. If you still have any questions about energy efficient blinds, feel free to get in touch with our experts!