Comments on: Cellular Insulating Window Shades

By: | Drapery Connection

| Drapery Connection — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:06:10 +0000

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By: Goran

Goran — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:41:55 +0000

I have two 55×120″ Levalor snow white double cell shades that let through a lot of light. The light transmission costs some insulating efficiency, but it provides very nice lighting in the morning. I’d recommend them for the light, alone. They leak air around the edges, but the window is so big, there is still a noticeable improvement in comfort. A smaller window may have less improvement unless the shades are carefully installed to seal air.

By: Cellular Insulating Window Shades | Drapery Connection

Cellular Insulating Window Shades | Drapery Connection — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:05:51 +0000

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By: Exciting Windows by Verticals Etc » Cellular Insulating Window Shades

Exciting Windows by Verticals Etc » Cellular Insulating Window Shades — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:48:49 +0000

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By: chad

chad — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:04:56 +0000

Excellent comment Ted, thanks!

By: Pella Proline Windows Chosen for 100K House | 100khouse.com

Pella Proline Windows Chosen for 100K House | 100khouse.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:01:52 +0000

[...] wood casement windows for the 100K House project. The discussion that was sparked in the recent post on thermal shades was the clincher for [...]

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:09:45 +0000

I’m quite a fan of insulating cellular shades. I installed triple cell Comfortex Symphony shades in all my bedrooms when I had the original double hung windows in my house and the shades made a huge difference, very noticeable comfort improvement because of the reduction of convection currents near the windows and great reduction in the radiative losses due to your body heat going right out through the windows.

Later, I replace all my windows with Loewen double and triple glazed, low-e windows (which are fantastic) and the shades still make a difference. Not as much, but certainly noticeable.

Will they pay for themselves in saved energy costs? probably not, but then, neither will the windows. Nor will many of the ecologically friendly choices I make for my home. But together, I’ve been able to reduce my oil consumption to about 1/3 the previous level.

The economic payoff argument that I see so often when it comes to “green” upgrades is largely bogus. Yes, one should know what the economics are and should prioritize projects. However, there are many aesthetic choices one makes where there is zero economic payoff. Why do these items get a free ride? How do you put a price on comfort and health of your structure?

Granted, I understand you have a pricing goal for your home, so you have to prioritize based on the economic formula, but I don’t want others to constrain themselves to this line of thought. Most people will put in shades anyway, often very expensive ones that provide minimal insulation. Why not put in less expensive window treatments that actually make the house better?

By: chad

chad — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:40:43 +0000

Thanks for the reference to your UK experience. This is definitely helpful info that I agree not all developers today take into consideration. I have some unpleasant stories of very dissatisfied new condo owners in downtown Philly who didn’t check to make sure the developers had put up more than two layers of drywall in between each unit prior to purchasing.

Using SIPs on our house should reduce the noise considerably compared to that average Philly rowhome. Also, the “bottom-of-the-line” windows we are considering are Pella Proline which is a pretty nice window all around and again, better than the average window installed in many new Philly rowhomes.

Eliminating conventional A/C and using the hot water heater as the heating source in the winter should also reduce the noise factor in the home. We are even looking into mounting the exhaust fans for the bath and range hood in the ducting near the roof in order to greatly reduce the noise at the point of use.

By: Y. Bzerious

Y. Bzerious — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:22:48 +0000

I want to affirm Ray’s comments, most especially about noise — and privacy. I think one thing many, if not most builders seem to have lost perspective on is noise control. We’ve used cellular shades (double cell) and have found them to be really helpful in reducing exterior road noise while allowing in light — and at least in the case of the shades we use, being able to lower them from the top has proven really wonderful in terms of allowing in even more light while protecting our privacy. I think noise could be a completely separate thread, from where one locates an external compressor to appliance and HVAC “thrum.” Too many recently built homes feel and sound as though they’ve been designed with the acoustics and solidity one might find living inside a snare drum. For comparison, the relatively small house we lived in while in the UK had no AC, but had true brick exterior walls, plaster instead of sheet rock interior walls, slab construction and poured concrete for the second floor rather than wood joists — and I never slept so well in my life!

By: chad

chad — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:22:42 +0000

I leaning strongly toward the optional upgrade route for the homebuyers on the shades due to the intelligent discussion resulting from this post. You guys are quite helpful. Keep it up!