As energy costs rise during the winter heating season, you're always looking for ways to cut costs while keeping your rooms cozy and comfortable. While all window treatments can provide some insulation, installing more energy-efficient types of window treatments - such as cellular shades, solar shades, real wood blinds and vertical blinds - can be a cost-effective way to save money on your utility bill - no matter how cold it gets this winter (and they'll keep your rooms cooler next summer, too)!
When you're deciding what type of window treatment you want in your home . and energy conservation is a major factor in your decision . you may be overwhelmed by terms like R-value, shading coefficient, UV transmittance and more.
Here's what they all mean:
- R-Value rates the effectiveness of a window covering at preventing energy from flowing to the outside. The higher the R-Value number, the more insulation it provides.
- Shading Coefficient measures the heat going through the window when the window treatment is used versus the heat gain through a bare window. The lower the shading coefficient, the better the heat reduction.
- UV Transmittance measures a window covering's effectiveness at preventing ultra violet rays from entering an interior. The percentage ratings indicate the amount of possible UV rays that actually penetrate the window covering into the interiors. The lower the UV percentage, the more protection it provides.
- Solar Transmittance is the percentage of solar energy allowed to pass through the window covering.
- Solar Reflectance is the percentage of solar energy absorbed by the window covering.
- Visual Transmittance is the amount of light you can actually see with the naked eye.
- Sound Absorption (Noise Reduction Coefficient ) is the amount of reflected sound absorbed by the window covering. The greater the coefficient, the greater the sound absorption.
Additional Tips for Energy Efficiency
- Install a programmable thermostat
- Weatherproof windows and doors
- Turn off lights when you leave the room
- Insulate exteriors & interiors
- Change furnace filters, sweep chimney annually, turn down the water heater
- Fire up your fireplace!
« More Ideas and Solutions
|
