Are you enjoying the fall weather that’s still hanging around in Cleveland? While it’s truly a treat not to be driving in the snow yet, we have to accept that it’ll be here soon. As the days get shorter and the temperatures get colder, you might already be feeling that winter is sapping energy from your home. Lamps and overhead lights might be doing double-duty, and your heater might be humming almost non-stop. If you’re longing for a more energy efficient home that’ll give you cozy comfort this winter, we have some tips that will help you get just what you want.
Tip #1: Eliminate Cold Drafts
Have you ever walked by a window and felt chilly air flowing into your room? You know you don’t have an air leak, so where is that coldness coming from? Well, as warm air moves around your home, it brushes up against your windows. When it’s cold outside, the air that hits the window loses some of its heat, and it’s cooler as it flows back into the room. This can wreak havoc on your heating bill–especially if you have many windows in a room or large expanses of glass on windows and doors. You don’t have to live with these chilly drafts. You can stop them and create a more energy efficient home by insulating your windows. Now, no one is suggesting you staple puffy pink insulation to your window frames! What we do recommend, though, is to dress your windows with insulating shades. Made to trap air at the window, shades that have a cellular design, like Duette Honeycomb Shades, prevent your home’s warm air from cooling off. This helps keep the temperature consistent and comfortable throughout the room and increases energy-efficiency throughout your home. What more could you want this winter?
Tip #2: Use the Sun’s Heat
A warming beam of sunshine is a wondrous pleasure on a cold day. Every moment of winter sun is a joy that should be savored by you and your home. Using solar heat to supplement your main heating system is a great way to boost energy-efficiency and lower your monthly bills. However, a busy schedule might make taking advantage of the sun’s warming rays difficult. Sunshine might be streaming in and making your home feel toasty as you leave in the morning, but its effect is cancelled out by the frosty draft that you come home to after sunset. If that’s the case, then you need the innovative intelligence of PowerView automated window shades. Just program PowerView to automatically raise or lower your shades to the positions you set at the times you want. PowerView can even use GPS data to determine the exact sunrise and sunset times in your area and move your shades based on the sun’s position. This way, you can capitalize on every second of warming sun no matter where you are or what you have going on. PowerView is a revolutionary system that will help you have a little extra spending cash and the energy efficient home you want this winter.
Tip #3: Make the Most of Natural Light
Are you feeling the darkness of winter closing in on you? As daylight hours get shorter, you are probably using your side lamps and overhead lights more. Do you find yourself using them during the day too? Glare can be horrible in the winter–especially as sunlight bounces off freshly fallen snow. Closing the shades and curtains might be your only way to find respite from unyielding glare. Apart from making you feel like you’re living in a cave, having to use artificial light all day and night can really do a number on your productivity, mood, and electric bill. So, how can you make the most of natural light in your home without all of its accompanying problems? Install window coverings that help you achieve energy efficiency. Top-down, bottom-up shades will let in natural light. Window shades that filter, diffuse, and allow you to direct light, like Silhouettes and Nantuckets are top choices for getting the gorgeous glow of daylighting. By reducing your need for artificial light, they’ll save your money and your mood. This winter, enjoy the beauty and comfort of natural light and a more energy efficient home.
Before you know it, the snow will be falling and the temperatures will be dropping. Don’t let winter sap energy from your home. Transform your house into an energy efficient home that’ll save you money and wrap you in cozy comfort. Our experts will come right to your windows to assess your needs and bring samples of styles and fabrics so you can see exactly how they’ll enhance the look and feel of your rooms. Contact our team for your free, in-home consultation today.
