HUNTER DOUGLAS DUETTE ARCHITELLA’S ENERGY SAVING ADVANTAGE

As the energy costs soar, eco-friendly design has become a hot topic, which has also reached the window covering industry. Being ecologically smart is a responsibility, as well as a way to save money. High energy consumption is not only expensive; it is draining our natural resources. While some companies are just now seeking design solutions for saving energy at home, Hunter Douglas, the nation’s leading manufacturer of custom window blinds and shades, has been pioneering energy-saving solutions at the window for decades.

During the hottest months of the year, over half the heat in a home comes in through the windows. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this can add 15 to 20 degrees to interiors and force air conditioners to work two to three times harder. And in winter months, heat lost through windows can account for as much as 10 to 25% of a heating bill.

It’s a simple scientific fact: heat moves towards cold. In winter months heat is drawn to the cold glass of windows to escape a home. In warmer months, heat moves toward the windows so that air conditioners have to work two to three times harder. While blinds and shades are very fashionable and give light control, some products are designed to protect against heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, while reducing heating and cooling costs by as much as 25 percent.

Duette Shades Offer Solutions

Fortunately, window coverings – particularly Duette honeycomb shades – can protect against heat gain and harsh glare in summer and heat loss in winter. Duette shades boast a unique construction that traps air in the honeycomb pleats and insulates against summer heat and winter cold. In fact, Duette Architella honeycomb shades are the most energy efficient nationally branded window covering on the market today.

The concept for Duette shades – the first highly efficient, yet fashionable window covering introduced in 1985 – was developed during the energy crisis of the late 1970s when Wendell Colson, now Senior Vice President of Product Development for Hunter Douglas, was a young architect and inventor in Massachusetts. “One night as I was shivering in bed, a double curtain came together in an irregular folding pattern with a honeycomb-like configuration, capturing air between the folds,” said Colson. “I saw this vertically, but I thought if we put it together horizontally you would have a highly energy-efficient window treatment because air would literally be trapped in the honeycomb cells.” Now the most comprehensive offering on the market, Duette honeycomb shades are available in a broad assortment of fabrics and colors with a variety of opacities, pleat sizes, state-of-the-art lifting systems and design options.

Today as the nation is experiencing another crisis in energy costs, Hunter Douglas once again revolutionizes the category with its new Duette Architella Collection – providing the ultimate in energy efficiency at the window. Duette Architella honeycomb shades feature a unique, patented construction consisting of a honeycomb nestled within a honeycomb. This provides two more air pockets than traditional honeycomb shades and dramatically increases R-values, which measure a product’s ability to keep heat in and cold out. The higher the R-value, the better the product is at retaining indoor warmth. For example, with an R-value of 4.00, a product stops about 75 percent of heat loss through the window.

Hunter Douglas Duette Architella honeycomb shades boast a very high R-value (resistance to heat flow) of 7.73 in winter, while a typical double-paned window only has an R-value of 1.75. And, a single layer of uncovered glass has an R-value of about 0.88. The higher the R-value, the more insulation a window covering provides in the closed (lowered) position. This means less heat is lost and more energy is saved.

Keeping Rooms Cooler

Duette Architella honeycomb shades also boast a low summer shading coefficient, which measures a product’s ability to shade against solar heat gain, and reflect heat to make rooms cooler. The lower the summer shading coefficient, the greater the percentage of heat reduction. The percentage of heat reduction is calculated, subtracted from 100 and then turned into a decimal.

For example, Duette Semi-Opaque Architella honeycomb shades stop 84% of solar heat from entering a home, which means they have a very low summer shading coefficient of 0.16. Duette Architella honeycomb shades in opaque fabric with a metallized core offer even more protection from solar heat gain. They block 87% of solar heat and have a shading coefficient of 0.13.

Let the Sun Shine!

All Hunter Douglas window fashions are manufactured to the highest standards of quality and design for unsurpassed durability and backed by a Lifetime Limited Warranty. Moreover, the UV protection offered by most of their products also helps preserve other furnishings.

Ultraviolet light is often called “the invisible enemy” as it is the invisible component of the sun’s radiation and can be extremely damaging. Ultraviolet literally means “beyond the violet” in the visible spectrum of light. It enters the house as sunlight but will eventually fade floors, furniture, upholstery and drapery fabrics, carpeting and valuable artwork. With prolonged sun exposure, natural, undyed fabrics typically become yellowed. Later, fibers will weaken, making furnishings look old and worn before their time.

Certain Hunter Douglas blinds can block up to 99 percent of UV rays. Look for a “% UV blockage” rating. The higher a product’s rating, the better the home’s interior is protected from UV rays.

And when dealing with direct sunlight, many Duette honeycomb shades have neutral white fabric backings, regardless of the color selected, which reflect the sunshine. This also allows them to have a uniform look from the exterior. In addition, Duette honeycomb shades offer superior protection – up to 99.9% – against the sun’s harsh UV rays  that can fade and eventually damage upholstery and drapery fabrics, carpeting, furniture, floors, as well as valuable artwork.

Hunter Douglas Duette Energy Savings

Duette honeycomb shades help keep out the cold in winter and heat in summer. The patented honeycomb design creates air pockets that give each shade a remarkable insulating quality.

The patented honeycomb design also helps to protect home furnishings. Duette honeycomb shades are ideal in any climate, even those with abundant humidity, heat and sunshine. While many shades wilt and wither from ultraviolet sunrays and humidity, Duette shades are designed and tested to withstand whatever Mother Nature serves up.

Duette honeycomb shades block up to 99% of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, depending on your fabric selection.