Any home will have a number of features and utilities all in working order, from a roof that does not leak to windows and doors that don’t let in drafts to insulation in the walls. But a secure window alone may not be enough for a home’s comfort, safety, and energy efficiency. In fact, in several regards, the home’s windows are a serious weak spot where safety and energy efficiency are concerned. Burglars may view valuable items in a home through the windows and plan a break-in, and in hot summers or cold winters, an exposed window will rapidly allow a room to heat up or cool down beyond what the homeowner wants, and this can interfere with the home’s air conditioning or heating system. In fact, many American homes suffer very high energy bills because bare windows or poor wall insulation are allowing rooms to cool down or heat up from outside interference, and warm or cool air in the home is not kept inside. What can be done? Blinds for windows, such as manual or motorized blinds, are a great start. Window treatments can also expand to motorized window shades or screens, and installing such things can be fairly easy. The advantages of blinds for windows make it clear that this can be a great investment. Local hardware stores may have various models of blinds for windows for homeowners to consider.
Energy Savings and Windows
Although blinds for windows and motorized window blinds have an aesthetic appeal to them, and this can influence what model is bought, one of their most important jobs is to help the air conditioning and heating unit of the home work only as much as it has to. Windows can easily let hot sunlight heat up a room, and this forces the air conditioning to work overtime to compensate. Similarly, a bare window in winter can rapidly leak warmth, and and this overworks the heating unit to compensate. And given how nearly half of a typical home’s energy usage goes to the heating and air conditioning, faulty climate control can mean a much higher energy bill than one would expect, and the expenses add up fast. Not only should the walls and roof have good insulation, but windows can have their own insulation in the form of blinds for windows.
How much can be saved this way? Potentially, a lot. The Attachments Energy Rating Council, the AERC, has compiled data about how window attachments and treatments can save energy due to trapping warm or cool air. Overall, the AERC found that window attachments will improve the performance of windows and save up to 13% of a home’s yearly energy use. For just window, the AERC discovered, cellular shades may treat the window and save anywhere from $280 to $470 each year, and similarly, roller shades on a single pane window can save around $180 per year. Given how windows and doors account for one third of a home’s thermal loss, blinds for windows can easily pay for themselves in savings on the energy bill.
Installing Window Treatments
Manually operated blinds for windows and other treatments can be installed easily, and they will start saving money right away as they help insulate cooled or warmed air. For those interested, motorized window blinds can be installed, which may be remotely operated or even scheduled to raise and lower at certain times of the day automatically. These shades are a great idea for very large windows or for homeowners, such as the elderly or the disabled, who would have trouble operating manual blinds. And there are other benefits to window treatments, too. They offer privacy, keeping out nosy neighbors and also deterring burglars, who will not be able to scout valuable items in rooms from the outside. (Other measures should be taken against burglars too, such as locking windows, as shades only block sight, not forced entry.) Window blinds can set a homeowner’s mind at ease knowing that their home’s interior is private, and as a bonus, window blinds and screens can also be very attractive. Drapes are also a strong option, although they can prevent a fire hazard if the homeowner is not careful. Flames and exposed wires must be kept away from drapes.
