Reviews of Cellular Shades for Energy Efficiency

The typical US family spends close to $1,900 a year on their home's utility bills.

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 44% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. Heat lost through windows can account for 10% to 25% of your heating bill. During the summer, sunny windows make your air conditioning work two to three times harder.

By using a few inexpensive energy-efficient measures, including installing cellular shades, you can reduce your energy bills by 10% to 50%.

Acknowledgements to US Department of Energy for the above information.

 

	We Recommend
	We Recommend Comfortex 3/8'' Double Cell Light Filtering (Acoustics)	YourBlinds 3/8'' Double Cell	Bali DiamondCell Northern Lights & Storm Double Cell
Price*	$106	$82	$105
R-Value**	5.8	4.6	5.33
Ease of Installation

*Price is for a 36 x 60 shade.

** R-value is a measure of a given material's resistance to heat flow - how well it resists heat gain or loss.  In short, the higher the R-value, the better the insulation it will provide for you.

Your windows themselves have a R-value. A typical window has a R-value ranging from 0.9 to 3.0. (To put this in perspective, the insulation that is used to build a home today has a R-value in the low 40s).

Several factors influence the R-value of your windows:
Type of glazing material
Number of layers of glass
Size of the air space between the glass layers
Thermal resistance of the frame and spacer materials
"Tightness" of the installation

R-Value and your Window Treatments
The window treatments you select also have an R-value. The higher the R-value, the more insulating benefits you'll receive. Adding cellular shades to your windows can block as much as 62% of the heat transfer through a window pane according to Alliant Energy.