Hirshfield's Window Fashions

Window treatments act as insulation.

In the winter, as much as 40% of the heat that escapes a home flows through the windows.

During the summer, heat from the sun’s rays coming through the windows can make it harder to keep a home cool. Energy-efficient window treatments can help decrease heat loss and heat gain, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs.

Some treatments are more energy efficient than others, so make sure to check a product’s R-value and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) rating.

• Save money on utility bills
• Conserve natural resources
• Lessen fading of carpets, fabrics, artwork and wood

Insulate Against Cold

R-value is a measure of a product’s ability to resist heat flow, which is especially important in the cool winter months.

The higher the R-value number, the more insulation it provides and the better it is at reducing heat loss.

A bare, low-e double-glazed window has an R-value of about 3.5. Add a properly installed Duette® Architella™ 1 1/4" honeycomb shade with Panache™ opaque fabric and the R-value peaks at 7.86, more than doubling the energy efficiency and reducing heat loss by over 50%.

The most energy efficient treatments feature a honeycomb construction (shown at left). The cells actually trap the hot or cold air, decreasing the intensity of the temperature as it enters the room. A honeycomb shade with a triple cell construction will increase the energy efficiency of a single pane of glass by five times and more than double the energy efficiency of a double-glazed window.

Reduce Solar Heat Gain

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is the amount of solar heat that passes through a window, where 0 = none and 1 = all. The lower a product’s SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits, which can help a home stay cooler in the warm summer months.

The SHGC of a bare, double-glazed window is 0.76, which means 76% of solar heat is transmitted through it.

Add a Duette® Architella™ 11/4" shade with Elan™ opaque fabric and the solar heat gain coefficient drops to 0.15 — only 15% of the solar heat is transmitted.

Filter Natural Light

UV exposure is not only harmful to skin, it can also damage furnishings, floors and fine art. Most Hunter Douglas products have fabric options that filter out 99% of these harmful rays in the closed position.

Many Hunter Douglas window fashions, including Silhouette® window shadings and Luminette® Privacy Sheers, filter out as much as 86% of harmful UV rays in the open-vane position.

Shown at left are the unique light-filtering characteristics of HunterDouglas Luminette® privacy sheers shown in combination with HunterDouglas Silhouette® window shadings.

Hunter Douglas makes products with a range of R-values and SHGC ratings so you can meet both your design and energy efficiency needs.

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