shades basics

Properly selected and installed window shades are cheap and effective energy saving devices, and can reduce air conditioning costs. But you should pay attention to their many types, patterns and styles, since they involve very different cooling effectiveness.

Interior or exterior shades?

Interior Shade 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

Shades comprise several types. Roller, pleated, roman, bamboo and wood shades are the most common.

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 can be changed with seasons: the white side of the shade can be 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...