Insulated Shades Keep Your Home Warmer in Winter and Cooler in Summer
Typical windows can account for up to 25% of your home’s heat loss; insulated window treatments can help keep that heat in.
The value of insulated shades
The right insulating window shades can drastically reduce the amount of heat escaping from your home in winter and entering in summer, so you reduce energy loss and stay comfortable all year long. Hunter Douglas manufactures several very effective insulating shade options: Duette® Architella Honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb shades, and Sonnette® cellular roller shades.
Motorization for highest efficiency
Looking to maximize energy efficiency? Hunter Douglas' PowerView® Automation allows you to raise and lower shades with a simple push of a button, tap on a mobile phone, or voice control using a smart-home device, which can be helpful for hard-to-reach windows. But the PowerView system offers much more than just convenience:
- Schedule your shades to move automatically at certain times of day
- Create personalized shade-setting Scenes within one room or your entire home
- Minimize heat loss in winter and block harsh sun in summer
- Optimize protection from damaging UV rays for your furnishings
Smart-home options
Take efficiency even farther by integrating with a compatible smart-home system, and program your shades to raise and lower in response to light- and temperature-sensor commands sent from that system.
- When the interior of the home reaches a certain temperature, you can set shades to automatically block light from entering your room. This provides better heat reduction and also prevents the sun from fading and deteriorating your fabrics, carpet, hardwood floors and other surfaces.
- Program shades to open when the sun is shining in your room and close when it's moved away.
- Customize shades in each room to operate differently, depending on how you use the room and how much sun is coming in
Innovative Openings consultants will help you select the right product, fabric, and operating system to achieve the level of energy efficiency you desire.
How do shades insulate your windows in cold weather?
Heat escapes through windows in 3 different ways:
Conductive heat loss at window openings
Some heat is transferred through the window frame and the spacer bars between the glass via conduction. R-value becomes the most important measure of heat loss through these windows. An insulated window shade that adds an R-value of 2 will cut the heat-loss through a double glazed window (approximately R-value = 2) by 50%. A shade with an R-value of 6 would reduce heat loss through the same window by 75%.
Air infiltration at window openings (Convection)
In the case of windows that have a loose-fitting window sash, or other tiny openings around the window, air infiltration can be a larger source of heat loss than conductive heat loss. The first step is to address the window seal with caulk, weatherstripping, storm windows, or replacement windows. Window shades with tight sealing track systems will further reduce any air infiltration. This is often a good solution for aluminum sliding windows.
Radiant heat loss at window openings
Radiant heat loss causes the inhabitant of a room to feel colder when near a large uncovered window. Closing any type of window covering over this window will make the room feel warmer, but certain window treatment choices will provide greater comfort and efficiency. A shade with reflective properties will reflect the heat back into the room, providing a radiant heat barrier.
Duette Architella Honeycomb insulating shades
Hunter Douglas' most energy efficient shade, for increased energy efficiency at your windows and increased comfort in your home
Up to 30% of a home's heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows. The superior design of Hunter Douglas' Duette Architella® Honeycomb Shades traps air in distinct pockets to help keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Duette Architella: A different kind of honeycomb
Like regular Duette, Duette Architella traps air in six-sided honeycomb pocket. Architella goes a step beyond, featuring a honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design for even greater energy efficiency.
Fabrics for energy efficiency in Colorado's mixed climate
Duette Architella fabrics help keep the heat in your house during cold winter months and helps keep the heat out during hot summer months.
In cool climates, stay warm and save heating energy.
- If you move your shades daily either with PowerView® Automation or manually:
- Open on sunny days
- Closed at night and on cloudy days
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics with high ratings for cool climates
2. If you keep your shades down for privacy and UV protection while you're away during the day:
- Shades may be down both day and night
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics with high ratings for cool climates
In a warm climate
If your house is too hot, keep shades down all day to keep the sun out and the interior cooler.
- Keep shades down all day to keep the sun out and the interior cooler
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics with high ratings for warm climates
In a mixed climate
You may find that both hot and cold weather are a concern for your home. This could depend on your home's exposure (west, south, etc.), what type of windows you have, or if your home is situated in one of Colorado's microclimates... small areas where temperatures may be more temperate or more extreme than the overall climate surrounding them. There are a number of Duette Architella fabrics with good warm and cool ratings, and one of these may be right for your home.
- You want year-round comfort in your house
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics with high ratings for mixed climates
Sonnette Cellular Roller Shades
Insulating air pockets in classic roller shade form for comfort all year long...
An insulated roller shade from Hunter Douglas
Sonnette's proprietary 2" cellular construction provides an energy-efficient layer to insulate your home in the winter and keep it cooler in the summer. Sonnette shades provide superior energy efficiency over traditional roller shades. Crafted from two layers of fabric that diffuse light and create a soft glow at your window, Sonnette's air pockets provide a barrier between interior temperature and exterior temperature.
- The most energy-efficient roller shade on the market
- The only roller shade certified by the Attachments Energy Rating Council for its energy-efficient properties
- Compatible with PowerView® Automation–automation allows for shade scheduling that provides optimized energy-efficiency, peace of mind and time savings.
- White street-side fabric provides a uniform appearance to the street.
- Budget-friendly insulating option perfect for first-time home buyers
- Learn more about Sonnette
In cooler climates or during winter
- Open shades on sunny days
- Close shades at night and on cloudy days
- Save on heating costs
- Shades closed all day if you have manual operator and don't have time to move them
- Shades closed all day for privacy and UV protection
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics best for keeping cold out
In warmer climates or during summer
- If your house it too hot, keep shades down all day to keep the sun out.
- Save on air conditioning costs
- Ask your Innovative Openings consultant about fabrics best for controlling summer heat
Get tax credits on qualifying Hunter Douglas insulating shade purchases
Analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has shown that window attachments can save a significant amount of energy in residential and commercial building. In 2014, the Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC) formed to provide information about the energy performance of window attachments. Hunter Douglas is the first manufacturer to earn a national energy performance rating and certification for interior window covering products through AERC.
AERC rating
- Based on U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)
- Represents the amount of energy that would otherwise be lost through the window without using a window treatment (AERC is not a whole-home energy saving number.)
AERC product labeling
- Cool Climate Rating: The closer the Cool Climate rating is to the Max Improvement rating, the less energy is required to heat the home.
- Warm Climate Rating: The closer the Warm Climate rating is to the Max Improvement rating, the less energy is required to cool the home.
- Colorado: Our state falls into the "Cool" and "Mixed" climate zones. Consider the orientation and geography of your home and your past experience when selecting fabrics that will best meet your needs. Your Innovative Openings consultant will help.
Which products qualify?
Each fabric has unique characteristics including U-value and SHGC. Duette, Applause and Sonnette shades made with certain fabrics qualify for AERC tax credits, based on a combination of the fabric's insulation performance and the design of the shade product itself.
Complete list of AERC Rated and Certified Products
How do I qualify for the AERC credit?
- You must be an Xcel Energy customer
- You must own an existing single family home with central air conditioning
- You must have a combination of residential electric and natural gas services OR electric-only service in which electric heating is used.
Application must include:
- Postmark no later than September 30 of the year following installation of qualified equipment.
- Complete account holder information.
- Complete equipment information (provided by Innovative Openings).
- Copy of the dates sales receipt or invoice, with equipment manufacturer, product line and model number; all information on receipt or invoice must precisely match the information on the rebate application (or the application will be returned).
Download form and additional information here: Dealer Information - Xcel Rebate