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Going Green With Window Treatments

Posted: Thursday, August 4th, 2011 | Filed under: exterior shades, Green shading, Greener living, Home cooling, modern window treatments

Green window treatments are a great idea and a smart idea for your home and the environment. Installing interior and exterior window treatments or window shades can be effective for more than just your home, but for the environment too. There are many different window treatment options for going green. How you choose to cover your windows can really make a difference in your energy efficiency and even your energy bills. Green window treatments and window shades help keep your home cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and reduce your energy costs overall.

Here are a few things to consider when going green with your window treatments:

Choose light colored blinds, shades, curtains and drapes. Dark colors attract heat and sunlight while lighter colors reflect sunlight and heat away. Lighter colored shades will keep the heat out of your living space, while darker colors will absorb it and release it into your home.

Controlling sunlight before it enters your home is another great way to reduce excessive heat or sun exposure. Large windows that face towards the sky can be covered with exterior window shades to prevent and reduce solar exposure and heat before if hits the glass. Exterior window shades are a great way to keep out the heat.

Retractable awnings are also a great way to shade your windows. Aside from keeping the sunlight and heat out of your home, retractable awnings cut glare and UV rays before they reach the interior. Shading the exterior windows and doors in your home can reduce interior heat by 77% and can reduce air conditioning use and energy bills by almost 25%!

When you’re thinking about installing window treatments or window shades and you’re in the New York City area, think about going green with ideas from Shading Systems! Environmentally friendly window treatments are beneficial to your home and the environment! Remember: light colors to reflect sunlight, exterior window shades to prevent the sunlight and heat from hitting the glass and retractable awnings are all great eco-friendly window treatment ideas.

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Retractable Awnings and House Value

Posted: Monday, September 27th, 2010 | Filed under: awnings, exterior shades, retractable awnings

Retractable awnings are a great addition to any home. Many choose to add retractable awnings to their homes for the simple fact that they increase value of their homes, protect their homes from the weather elements, and are quite appealing to the eye. Retractable awnings not only help us with added beauty and protecting us from the weather elements but they work to extend our living space creating a covered space to enjoy the outdoors underneath.

Retractable Awnings

Retractable Awnings

Protecting your home from the weather elements is by far a great reason retractable awnings increases the value of your home. Not only will your home be more energy efficient, but future home owners will take pride knowing that their home will be protected from the sun’s heat rays. When sun has the ability to peer through your windows, air-conditioners have to work harder, furniture can fade, and your home can be uncomfortable if you’re not running the air-conditioner. Stopping the sun with a retractable awning before it enters the home makes this energy efficient.

How do you add the appeal and space that retractable awnings provide? Choosing a fabric that best captures a welcoming experience helps you increase value of your home and helps create a look like no other. How about those that love entertaining others? Adding space to your home by covering your back patio with a retractable awning is a great benefit. Not only will you enjoy many hot days under the shade as you entertain guest, but those looking at your home as their future home will see this added space a great benefit.

Regardless your motive, to protect your home from the intruding sun, to add appeal to your home, or in adding space to entertain; choosing a retractable awning is simple and a great addition to your home. Creating exactly what you need to be comfortable in your home, your adding a cost effective and energy efficient addition to your home in which also increases the value of your home.

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Retractable Awnings and home value

Posted: Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 | Filed under: awnings, exterior shades, Home cooling
Retractable Awnings

Retractable Awnings

Most of us want to save energy cost and control the elements of the weather when it comes to our homes. Summer days mean hot uncomfortable days and winter days can mean pouring rain for most of us. Being this is true for most of us, many of us should look into adding a retractable awning to our backyard patio or some of our windows that are most effected by the weather’s elements.

The benefits of a retractable awning are that of many! On a rainy day, stepping outdoors under an awning will be a dry moment instead of a wet moment. On a hot day there are many benefits as well. A retractable awning will stop the sun from hitting the part of the home we aim to protect from the heat. Stopping the sun in its tracks will mean saving on energy cost and staying cooler on a hot, otherwise, uncomfortable day!

Installing a quality retractable awning will increase the value of your home as well. Those looking into purchasing will see the benefits of a retractable awning as an investment as well. A quality awning will last a long time and will benefit the new home owner in regards to comfort, eye appeal, and energy cost. Having this addition will allow you to sell your house for a bit more then your neighbor’s home because of these benefits.

There are many attractive, yet durable, options when choosing a retractable awning for your home. Hiring a professional to help you install or to make the best judgment in where and how to install a new awning for your home is best. Decide what you need from a retractable awning and let a professional guide you in the right direction.

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Economics of the External Shading System

Posted: Thursday, July 29th, 2010 | Filed under: exterior shades, Shading systems
External shading systems

External shading systems

In some situations, it is best to use a shading system on the exterior of your home, rather than inside. Exterior shades block out the light and heat before they enter your home, so that you are one step ahead of the heat that increases your electric bill.

A central air conditioning unit can use as much as 3500 watts per hour, literally blowing away all other electricity users in your home. Since direct sunlight increases your home’s temperature by as much as ten to twenty degrees, it seems obvious that stopping that sunlight will decrease your need to run the air conditioner. The key is finding the perfect balance between solar screening and room darkening. Do not completely block out all natural light, or you may end up using more electric light, which can generate heat as well. However, solar screens are capable of blocking out sun-generated heat – as much as 60-70% – while still allowing ample light in the room.

External shading systems, such as retractable awnings, can not only beautify your home, but also create functional spaces from areas that were too hot to enjoy. Awnings can provide shade during sunny days and protection from the rain. Plus, since they are retractable, you can remove them for overcast days or those warm spring days when the sun is peeking from the clouds for the first time since last autumn.

Motorized controls for retractable awnings can be used manually, set to a timer, or linked to environmental conditions, such as amount of sun, wind, rain, or other factors. This is beneficial for individuals hoping to reduce glare, UV rays, and heat in the interior rooms of their home.

Reducing your electric bill is as easy as adding an eternal shading system.

Resource: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooling.html

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