how window coverings can efficiently help you at home

how window coverings can efficiently help you at home

Are you incurring a massive cost in heating or cooling your house? Are you aware that you can significantly cut that bill by carrying a simple exercise like window covering? Well, it is a common understanding that walls and attic insulation of a home keep it more energy efficient. It conditions the house to allow less heat in and less air to escape, hence, reducing the bill incurred in cooling and heating the house. What many people do not realize is that window coverings can amazingly serve as a method of insulating one’s home.

Experts say that close to 30% of a home’s heating energy escapes through the windows. In seasons when one needs to cool his home, around 76% of sunlight heat that falls on a standard window plane will enter the house to become heat. With these facts, it is vital to do window treatment to improve the energy efficiency of your home and reduce cost. Below is a discussion of how window coverings can efficiently help you at home. The discussion is splinted in two parts, the benefits of having interior window treatment and the benefits of having an exterior window treatment.

Interior Window Treatment

These are window coverings that are installed in the inside part of window planes. They have a different benefit according to the make of each cover. Here are some of the best interior coverings with the benefit each brings to the homeowner.

Roman Shades and Rollers

Roman shades are usually fabric shades of windows, which are pulled up into a series of uniformly stacked folds whenever they are raised or lowered. On the other hand, roller shades are commonly cheap shades. They are dropped or raised from a roller bar, which is usually fixed at the top of the window.

These shades have a designed that allows them to fit inside of the window casing. They provide a little amount of insulation. There are mainly useful for room darkening, privacy, and blocking sunlight.

Insulated Cellular Shades

The production of these shades is mainly pleated materials. Thes materials have a design that allows them to fold up to either at the bottom or the top of the window. They also contain more than one air layer to improve efficiency. They have the highest R-values, which reduce heat conduction through the window.

These shades are efficient in energy saving. They can also be used to improve privacy, enhance the comfort of one’s home, and increase the value of the house, especially for resale. Cellular shades, especially those that can open from both top and bottom, allows one to regulate daylight that is entering the home effectively.

Window quilts

The make of these window coverings is mainly sheet of quilted material, which can be opened or closed by rolling or unrolling, respectively. They are also well designed to fit snug either on tracks or with an attachment like Velcro against the trim. Due to this nature, they can offer an R-value of similar quality to that of cellular shades. An added advantage of these window quilts is that they less expensive compared to cellular shades.

Curtains and Drapes

Curtains are interior attachments fabrics designed to fit the window. Drapes have a design that makes them reach to the floor. Their efficiency lies in their flexibility to suit both the summer and the winter season. In summer, you can close the draperies so that you reduce heat loss from the room. During the winter season, you can close all your drapes, especially at night, to prevent heat entry in the place. To improve their efficiency, one should ensure that he hung his drapes close to the window as possible. One can also hung two draperies together to tighten air space for better insulation.

Blinds

Whether they are horizontal or vertical slat-type, window blinds, are more effective in lowering heat gain during summer than reducing heat loss during winter. They are quite efficient than shades in that they allow flexibility during the summer season. One can use blinds to regulate light entering the room, glare and solar heat penetrating the room.

Window Films

Window films are effective in preventing excess solar heat gain and blocking ultraviolent exposure and glare. They are best preferred during long cooling seasons due to their ability to block the heat from the sun.

Additionally, the useful for homeowners who have a problem with sun heat gain and glare, but they would like to block views with other window coverings. They also work best in rooms where the furniture or carpeting is prone to damage by Ultra-Violent exposure.

Exterior Window Treatments

These are window coverings that mainly fixed on the outer side of the window plane. They are beneficial to the house owner in their way, as discussed below.

Exterior shades and shutters

These shades and stutters are primarily made of materials like wood, aluminum, steel, vinyly, or fabric. Those made of fabrics have openings that allow more light to pass through into the room. The smaller the aperture, the more it protects the room from the solar heat. They are mainly used to provide privacy, shade, and protection from storms. It is possible to raise them partially to allow some fresh air to pass into the room as well as allowing light to enter via the windows.

Exterior solar window screens

These solar screens are effective in reducing Ultra-violent damage, minimize heat gain, and glare. The manner of their design allows one to have a view through the windows and allows sufficient light transmission. Their efficiency varies with their openness factor. Smaller openness increases protection against solar heat and glare, but it reduces light penetration and visibility and vice versa.

Awnings

They look like roof shelters, which are fixed on windows to shade them from glare and excess heat from the sun. They have ventilation that helps to keep hot air from getting trapped inside the room. They also allow one to open them from the sides or top increase ventilation for hot air to get out. They are mainly preferred due to their ability to save energy during the hot season.n