Energy Efficient Window Solutions
Reduce heat, block UV rays, and improve comfort with energy-saving shutters, shades, and drapery for Austin homes
Energy efficient window treatments have been designed to reduce heat gain, block harmful UV rays, and help maintain comfortable indoor temperatures, which is important here in Austin. From insulated shades to custom wood shutters, the right solution can make a noticeable difference in comfort and energy bills.
Vignette® Window Shades
Energy Saving Window Treatments Increase Comfort
Block Heat & UV Rays
With the intensity of the Texas sun, it’s important to block incoming light with fabrics and materials designed to reduce heat gain and UV damage. Special fabrics, materials and engineering come together to protect the interior of your home.
Reduce Energy Loss at the Window
It’s common for Texas homeowners to face major energy loss at the window. Insulated shades create a barrier to reduce the airflow that is responsible for heating up your home in the summer or allowing the draft of winter’s chill.
Improve Comfort without Sacrificing Light
Create a more comfortable home, while also enjoying the natural light you deserve. Energy efficient window treatments are engineered to maintain interior temperatures while natural light enters. This can be a result of specialty fabrics, structure and window covering features.
Why Choose Insulated Window Shades?
When you face extreme heat like we do in Texas, window treatments need to do more than look good. Insulated designs help limit heat transfer through glass while reducing glare and UV exposure—so your home stays more comfortable throughout the day.
Cellular & Honeycomb Shades for Energy Efficiency
Many homeowners know that energy loss occurs at the window, and it can conjure the image of tossing money out of your home. While old windows can play a role in this, oftentimes, new windows can be at a similar risk, depending on the insulating value of the glass. Hunter Douglas honeycomb shades feature a revolutionary design—cellular pockets that trap air. The exterior air can no longer influence the cool interior air, allowing you to maintain those cooler temperatures inside your home.
Insulated Shades for Large, Sunny Windows
The largest windows and sliding glass doors of your Austin home offer beautiful natural light, but in Texas, that can mean an overabundance of sunshine, heat and harsh UV rays. Heat transfer and interior temps are heavily influenced by large expanses of glass. Insulated shades protect the atmosphere and comfort of your home by creating a barrier between the interior air and the exterior elements.
The Best Insulating Shade Features
Sometimes, it’s not just the energy efficient shade fabrics or structure that protects your home. The features you choose play a large part in creating the right environment, even when the natural elements are capable of causing discomfort.
Top Down Shades: Top down bottom up shades lower from the top, allowing a stream of light to enter, across the ceiling, illuminating the space and providing treetop views. The majority of the window remains covered, but you aren’t sacrificing natural light.
Dual Shades: Instead of just one shade at the window, the Duolite® dual shade system offers two shades. Available in cellular shades, roller shades, woven shades and sheers, the second portion offers strong light blocking control to manage the efficiency and comfort of the room.
Motorized Shades: When you choose energy saving shades that are controlled with smart home technology, it means controlling the comfort of your home is one adjustment away. Schedule your energy efficient window treatments to close mid-morning, allowing the sunlight to enter, starting the day off in a refreshing glow, but closing up during the hottest parts of the day. This effortless control not only improves the atmosphere of your home, but it will save on cooling costs in the long run.
Energy Efficient Window Treatments FAQ
What is considered an energy efficient window treatment?
Energy efficiency improves the comfort and energy usage in your home. An energy efficient window treatment is any shade, blind, shutter or drapery product that reduces heat gain, insulates the window and reduces the use of your home’s appliances that maintain comfortable temperatures, including air conditioners and furnaces.
What is “heat gain”?
We talk a lot about how heat gain is responsible for exhausting interior temperatures. Heat gain, also known as heat transfer, occurs when sunlight enters the windows and glass doors of a home and rests on a surface, including floors and walls, creating hot spots. When those surfaces are heated up, the heat cannot escape, and the interior temperature of the home rises. By stopping that sunlight from entering, especially during the hottest times of day, temperatures and comfort are more easily maintained.
Which window treatments offer the best energy savings?
Hunter Douglas is an industry leader when it comes to energy efficient window treatments, well-known for engineering award winning cellular shades that insulate the window and reduce heat gain while making it easy to maintain comfort in your home. Custom shutters are also a great energy efficient window treatment, as the shutter is tailored to fit your window, framed in place and capable of blocking light and reducing the air flow at the window. Specialty drapery fabrics can be used in thermal drapery to insulate against and block exterior elements that can often lead to discomfort and changing interior temperatures.
Do energy efficient window coverings have to be blackout?
No, they do not. While blackout fabrics influence comfortable interiors because sunlight is stopped at the window, certain types of insulating window shades can offer light filtering energy efficiency. Cellular shades create a barrier of insulation at the window, engineered with a cellular structure that stops air flow. The fabrics can be blackout and room darkening, but they can also be light filtering or sheer fabrics.
Are energy efficient shades available with motorization?
Yes, almost all of our insulating shades can be operated with Hunter Douglas PowerView® Automation, which can adjust in an instant or on a schedule to ensure comfortable temperature all year long.
Can energy efficient window treatments work on large, tall and wide windows?
Yes, our Hunter Douglas window treatments are custom-made, which means we can tailor the size, shape, height and width to fit your windows. We have options for your largest windows in insulating shades, blinds and draperies. We also offer real wood shutters that can cover larger windows than most other brands, due to the structural integrity and customizations.
Energy Efficient Solution Products
The following products are commonly used in energy efficient window solutions, depending on your home’s needs.
Other Window Solutions for Your Home
Want to improve energy efficiency and create an environment customized for your family? Take a look at the other window covering features we offer to see which ones you can combine to create the ultimate amount of benefits in your Austin area home.
