Blindster's Blog
Top 5 Eco-Friendly Window Shade Options
With both architects and home buyers focusing more and more on making living spaces as eco-friendly and energy efficient as possible, it's no surprise that blinds and shades that act as insulators are must-haves in today's market. Not only can effective window treatments spruce up the look of any room, they can also block sunlight in the summer that can heat your home by several degrees—which means your air conditioner and utility bills get a much-needed break.
Insulating window coverings aren't just effective in the summer. In fact, while sun-facing windows are great for helping to heat your home during winter days, they can also allow heat to escape at night. With the right type of blinds or shades, however, you can keep heated air inside the rooms that need it most to keep your family warm and cozy, even on the coldest nights.
In addition to making their homes more energy efficient, many people who shop for window treatments want new blinds and shades that have a minimal impact on the environment. The most eco-friendly window coverings are those that lower energy costs while utilizing self-sustaining materials and manufacturing processes that leave small ecological footprints.
At Blindster, we know how important it is to offer products that aren't just effective at making your room look and feel comfortable and inviting but are also created with the environment in mind. Here are five of our most eco-friendly window shade options:
1. Cellular Shades
Cellular shades were the first window covering that was specifically designed to insulate windows. Not only do they reduce the transfer of heat and cold, they also reduce noise. All cellular shades have an R-Value rating that ranges from 1 to 5 (5 is the best insulator) that measures the effectiveness of these insulating properties.
With an insulation R-Value of 5, blackout shades act as an effective buffer between your home and the harsh elements outside. In addition, blackout shades also block 99% of the outside light and are great for bedrooms. Even the light-filtering shades have an insulating R-Value of up to 4.6. That means every room in your home can stay at the temperature you want year-round without requiring you to turn your air conditioner 24/7 and rack up huge energy bills in the process.
Best of all, the more windows this shade covers, the more energy-efficient your home will be. Install this shade in one room to take advantage of its unbeatable value for privacy and insulation, or install it throughout your room and count the savings on your energy bills.
2. Fabric Roman Shades
The best way to keep your home cool during the summer is to keep hot air out. No matter what type of windows you have, sunlight has a warming effect and can cause considerable temperature increases—even if your windows themselves are well-insulated.
Our Premium Fabric Roman Shades with a blackout liner are the perfect solution to eliminate all sunlight from your bedroom, media room, child's room, or any other room in your home that needs 100 percent privacy and temperature control. Even the harshest summer days are no match for the blackout liner name from 100% cotton with an acrylic backing.
This shade also works well during the winter. Leave it up during the day to allow the sun to heat your home, and then close it at night to provide an extra layer of insulation to keep warm air inside. By working to keep your home closer to its ideal temperature year-round, your electric bill drops and your home's eco-friendliness goes up.
3. Solar Roller Shades
Solar Roller Shades are available in a variety of light filtering and blackout fabrics. The blackout fabrics are highly effective at eliminating all sunlight from entering your home, which means less energy is required to run your air conditioner and more savings for you on your electricity bill. The light filtering fabrics come in a variety of openness factors from 1% to 14% that allows you to insulate (R-Value ratings can range from 4.4 to 4.71) and block out harmful UV rays. The light filtering fabrics also allow you to keep your view during daylight hours.
Roller shade fabrics, however, do not cover the entire window when mounted inside the window. Because the mechanisms are mounted on each end of the metal roller bar, the fabric must be made smaller to allow room for these mechanisms. The fabric width will be 7/8" to 1 1/2" less than the ordered width on all roller shades. To get the best insulation, roller shades can be mounted outside the window. Just add a minimum of 2" to the width of your window opening to get fabric that will cover the entire window.
4. Roller Shades
Roller Shades come in a wide variety of blackout and light filtering fabrics. Blackout Roller Shades offer the same insulating value as our Blackout Solar Roller Shades but with more decorative choices. The light filtering fabrics in our roller shade section do not insulate and are mainly used to decorate.
5. Bamboo Woven Wood Shades
Our Deluxe Bamboo Woven Wood Shades are not only effective at blocking out light and insulating your home when purchased with the blackout or privacy liner option, but they're also created almost exclusively with natural materials and fibers.
In a market dominated with products containing synthetic materials and manufacturing processes, it's hard to find window treatments more natural and earthy than these bamboo shades. By combining real bamboo, grass, and jute, this shade is as beautiful as it is eco-friendly.
The optional blackout curtain also gives you the best of both worlds, as you can pair this natural window covering with a liner that blocks out the sun's heat to keep your home cool in the summer, further reducing your home's ecological footprint.
Hopefully this list gives you some ideas for your next window shades purchase – when you're ready, Blindster has free color samples, expert help and guarantees to help you get the perfect new shade for your home!
