FOR NOW, LEARN MORE BELOW ABOUT HOW TO KEEP COOL THIS SUMMER.

Creating Your Comfort Zone.

Window treatments can go a long way toward boosting your home’s energy efficiency, keeping you comfortable. That’s because compared to insulated walls and ceilings, windows easily allow more heat to escape from a room in winter and more heat to enter a room in summer.

In fact, without energy-efficient window coverings, a home can lose up to 30% of heating and cooling energy through its windows, according to the Department of Energy.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY A-LIST

The Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC) is an independent organization, partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, whose mission is to provide consumers with reliable information about the energy performance of window attachments (blinds, cellular shades, roller and solar shades).

Hunter Douglas is the first company to receive an AERC certification for interior window coverings. Currently, Duette® (including the Alustra® Collection) and Applause® Honeycomb Shades, Sonnette® Cellular Roller Shades and select Designer Screen Shades are AERC certified.

And on the AERC website, you can search for AERC certified products and compare window attachment ratings in categories such as Cool and Warm Climate Ratings.

 

How Window Treatments Improve Energy Efficiency

Window treatments help with a home’s energy efficiency by providing insulation, controlling solar heat gain, and by using natural light to reduce the use of electric light (called daylighting), which saves energy. Here’s a look at each—and how they help create your comfort zone.

Providing insulation—winter/cool climates
In winter, or if you live in a cool climate, window treatments help insulate at the window, preventing heat from escaping and keeping a room warmer.

Open your window treatments during the day so that free solar heat from direct sunlight will warm your home.

On cloudy winter days, close your window treatments to add an insulating layer to your house that will keep warm air in.

At night, close your window treatments to add that insulating layer.

Controlling solar heat gain—summer/warm climates
During the day, close your window treatments to prevent the sun’s harsh rays from heating up a room, keeping it cooler (so your A/C doesn’t have to work as hard).

At night, keep your window treatments closed to keep the cool air in.

Using daylighting
Natural light illuminating a room can make it more inviting, and may even boost your mood at the same time. You can maximize natural light with window treatments that draw it into a room, reducing the need for electric light, which reduces energy use.