Basics on Window Shades
Properly selected and installed window shades are simple, cheap
and effective energy saving devices, and can reduce air
conditioning costs. But you should pay attention to the many types, patterns and
styles, since they have very different cooling effectiveness.
Interior or exterior shades?
Interior shades last longer and may have some aesthetic or
other pros. But as a rule, they are less energy efficient than
exterior window shades. Properly designed and mounted, exterior
shades are the best cooling type of shades.
See:
Blackout shades
Transparent shades
Types of window shades: Roller,
Pleated, Roman, Bamboo...
Types of window shades
There are interior and exterior window shades, which could be
transparent or blackout, manual or motorized, cordless, etc.
See:
Blackout shades
Transparent shades
Types of window shades: Roller,
Pleated, Roman, Bamboo...
Mounting the window shades
To be energy effective, window shades should be mounted close to
the glass, and their sides should held close to the walls (to
seal the correspondent air space).
Dual window shades
Dual window shades have
two colors: a white and a dark color, one at each side.
In some cases, faces may be changed according with the weather:
the white side of the shade is used as the exterior face in the hot weather,
while the dark and heat absorbing side is used outward during
the cooling season and inward during the heating season.
Shades & Insulation & Heat Losses
As a rule shades do not provide insulation and aren’t used to
prevent heat losses in winter. But some types of shades -
quilted roller shades, and some types of Roman shades with
several layers of fiber batting and sealed edges – may
provide these features.
Pleated (cellular) shades are amongst the better shades in terms
of insulation.
See:
Types of window shades: Roller,
Pleated, Roman, Bamboo...
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Shades Basics
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