It would be fair to say that the whole world has well and truly bought into the eco-friendly craze at the moment, with the construction industry being one that is mostly affected. It’s here that more and more homeowners are looking to make their residences greener, not only to satisfy some local rules but also to lower their energy bills.
However, when most of us start to think about these eco-friendly measures we usually focus on solar panels and other extravagant action. While such renovations can really do their bit for the environment, we’re going to today discuss one issue which is commonly ignored.
This issue is windows, or specifically the treatments that cover them. For years homes were used to donning a set of curtains. Now, it’s possible to make a serious eco impression with blinds.
We’re going to start with one of the most advanced methods that can be used; motorized blinds. Immediately, question marks might be hanging over this suggestion – after all, when was a motor ever eco-friendly? Fortunately, developments in the industry mean that these devices can actually be powered by solar rays. As such, there’s no reliance on electricity whatsoever.
What this means is that you can just multiply all of the effects of the standard blind. Virtually every motorized blind on the market arrives with a programmable timer these days, with this dictating exactly when you want the blinds to open and close. It means that you can control them alongside natural daylight, and allow your home to be heated by the natural conditions when it suits.
However, it’s not all about making sunlight your new heating system. Part of the process of making your home greener through window blinds is using some of the latest inventions to insulate your rooms. Once upon a time insulation could only be performed pre-construction. Now, insulated shades have changed this.
These products are designed in a cellular shape and work on the premise of locking heat into a room. It’s possible to purchase single, double or even triple insulated blinds, with some of these having incredible effects on how a room is able to retain its heat.
Staying eco-friendly doesn’t always have to surround heating savings though, it can also relate to the amount of times you turn on the light switch in your home. We’ve all probably been in the situation where we’ve had to shut the curtains, or blinds, because the sun is either making the room into a greenhouse, or we’re just losing too much heat through the glazing in the middle of winter. It’s in these instances where the solar blind comes into play, with this able to allow the natural light through into a room, whilst blocking the hot UV rays.
As you can see, we’ve already given several examples on how window treatments can make the standard house come under that elusive eco-description. Blinds can affect heating, cooling and lighting costs – so at least consider some of the new technologies to take advantage in these areas