Energy Efficient Window Treatments
Insulate your home. Energy-efficient window treatments help regulate indoor temperatures, insulating your home to reduce energy loss at the window. Up to 40% of heating and cooling energy can be lost—the result of windows without proper insulation. Skyline’s thermal shades, drapery, and shutters are ideal window solutions that help maintain year-round comfort while lowering energy costs.
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Custom Roman Shades & Drapery
Energy Saving Window Treatment Options
Discover energy efficient window coverings that are designed to reduce energy costs while improving the comfort of your home. Block the heat and cold with insulating window coverings, including window shades, thermal drapery and interior shutters.
Energy Saving Shade Features
- Cellular structure traps air for superior insulation
- Helps maintain comfortable temperatures year-round
- Lower energy usage and utility costs
- Smart shades adjust automatically to reduce heat gain and loss
- Dual shades adjust for changing needs
- Top down shades allow natural light while insulating the window
The Science of Energy Efficiency at the Window
If you want to solve a problem, the best thing to do is to try to understand the problem itself. When we say 40% of your energy can be lost at the window, how is it happening? And, what are the best ways to combat the issues? Let’s take a look.
How Sunlight Impacts Indoor Temperatures
The idea of bright, mood-enhancing light shining through your windows might seem like the best scenario. But, what starts out as invigorating can quickly turn into frustration.
The Greenhouse Effect
When sunlight shines through your windows, two things begin to happen. You’ll notice the appearance of “hot spots,” a brightly lit area of the floor or wall, near your window. We call them hot spots because the temperature of where the light hits is significantly warmer than anywhere else. It’s why your pets are drawn to those intense heat areas–it’s the perfect spot to nap.
Additional problems arise the longer the sun is allowed to travel into your home. We’ll call it the “greenhouse effect.” Once that hot area has been created, the air around it also warms up, being influenced by the continuation of hot spots being created as the sun moves across the sky–and throughout your home during the day. In most cases, that hot air has nowhere to go. It can’t escape. Similar to a greenhouse, the sunlight enters, warms everything up, and the interior of your home feels like an oven.
Heat Loss and Cold Drafts at the Window
Another problem occurs right at the window. When the air outside is moving, just on the other side of the glass, your interior air can be influenced by the temperature of the glass. This can depend on the type and quality of windows you have. But, if you’ve felt a cool draft in the early morning during chilly times of the year, it’s probably not your window leaking. Oftentimes, it’s air moving around, being changed to a different temperature. This can heavily affect the comfort your home in the summer months. You’ll either suffer from exhausting heat, or you’ll spend a fortune on running your AC around the clock.
How Thermal Window Coverings Work
Now that we’ve narrowed down the issues affecting your home, let’s talk about solutions to insulate your windows and reduce energy loss. Now let’s talk about how thermal window coverings work.
Honeycomb Shades & Cellular Shades
Let’s look at Energy Efficient Honeycomb Shades, also known as Cellular Shades. At the window, honeycomb shades insulate the window by protecting your interiors from that airflow, often responsible for temperature changes. The cellular shape allows air to be trapped, separating the interior and exterior air from mingling. These shades allow you to easily keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter with less work from your utilities.
Roman Shades & Insulating Drapery
Any shade or drapery fabrics will help reduce the energy loss, but some are better than others. When it comes to thermal window coverings, we find that the fabric layers of insulating roman shades and draperies protect your interiors, often available in specialty fabrics, folds and liners that can ward off the temperature changes, blocking sunlight from entering, reducing heat gain.
We Can Guide You
We’d love to help you find the best options for your home. Schedule a free in-home consultation with one of our window covering specialists to discover which energy saving products will work best for you.
Best Window Treatments for Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficient Shades
- Duette® Honeycomb Shades
- Applause® Honeycomb Shades
- Sonnette® Shades
- Vignette® Modern Roman Shades
- Provenance® Woven Wood Shades with Duolite®
Energy Efficient Blinds
Energy Efficiency: FAQ
Which window treatments are the most insulating?
Cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades, are considered the most energy efficient window treatments. The cellular construction is designed to trap air at the window, providing a layer of insulation. Within the category, there are some products with structural components that offer enhanced performance.
Roman shades and custom drapery can also contribute to insulation, especially when made with thermal fabrics or liners. Shutters are another effective option, as their solid structure fits tightly within the window opening, helping block radiant heat and reduce airflow.
Custom drapery and roman shades can also contribute to insulation, when created using specialty thermal fabrics or liners. Shutters are an effective option, the solid structure framed into the window, helping to block radiant heat and reduce airflow.
Which features offer the most energy efficiency?
All window coverings offer levels of energy savings, from reducing radiant heat to helping maintain comfort. We do have features that have become homeowner favorites over the years.
Top Down Bottom Up
Top down shades allow the majority of the window to remain covered while natural light enters across the ceiling.
Duolite® Dual Shades
Dual shades can reduce the intensity of entering light, or block it completely, as two separate shades customize control. Our woven woods collection filters light with the first shade, and the second one is a cellular shade for more serious control.
Motorized Window Shades
Adding automation to the window shades, drapery, blinds and shutters of your home allows you instant control of energy savings. In most cases, homeowners love to schedule the opening and closing of the shades based on interior comfort.
Are blackout shades energy efficient?
Yes, they can be. Blackout fabrics stop sunlight from entering your home, which could drastically reduce the discomfort that comes from rising temperatures, due to heat gain.
Do window treatments really help with energy bills?
You could notice significant cost savings typically associated with regulating interior temperatures. When window treatments block light and insulate the windows, it’s less work for your home appliances which can result in reduced utility costs.
Are smart shades worth it for energy savings?
When used strategically, automated shades help maximize comfort and energy efficiency throughout the year. Motorized energy saving shades can be very effective when scheduled correctly. This automation allows shades to close before intense sunlight enters during warmer months and lower insulating treatments during colder periods to reduce drafts.
