3.28.2009

Honeycomb Shades Insulate Better Than Blinds

honeycomb shades
Our energy auditor said that our home's original windows, including storm windows, were fine. As far as windows go. Even two panes of glass do not give you close to the insulation value (or R-value) of an insulated wall. He suggested that "shades and drapes" would be a good cost-effective solution to better insulate the windows than our blinds. Traditional blinds, with gaps between every row, do not create a solid cushion of air between the window and the room.

My Internet research indicates that the cellular shades (the pleats have a honeycomb shape if you look at them from the side) are probably the most insulating type of shades available. I found Redi Shade cellular fabric shades that you cut to size yourself at Costco and at Tuesday Morning. These have a single layer of cells and let in a nice glow of light. Cellular shades with a second layer of cells darken rooms and offer more insulation. I also found a cellular shade/blind combination that looks promising.

We put four of them up in the living room with relative ease (we used the brackets so we can take them down to paint instead of the adhesive option, which would have been really simple). They look great, and a great deal better than the old blinds. They are cordless and pressing the button to raise and lower them is fun and easy. We put up draperies too, so that is our second layer.

We've been opening the shades and drapes up and letting the daylight warm the house. We used to open, but not raise, the old blinds in that room and it's been great to have an unobstructed view of the trees and grass waking up for Spring. We haven't put all of the shades up yet, but I look forward to have a tighter building envelope at night while it's still cold. I hope to open them after the heat of the day in the summer, to continue enjoying the nice views.