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Install insulated window treatments

Why This is Green

Installing insulated window treatments--shades or drapes--is a simple way to improve the energy efficiency of your home. This simple act can help to slow the flow of conditioned air from inside your home to outside, reducing your consumption of energy. Less energy consumed means more money saved, fewer greenhouse gasses emitted, and reduced demand on the natural resources used to generate energy.

About 10 percent of the heat energy lost from a building goes straight through the windows. And about 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through those windows. Heat can be retained or blocked by window treatments.

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How To

Insulated window treatments come in both light maximizing and light minimizing options. Choose based on the type of climate you live in. So for a cooler climates, you’ll want the light maximizing versions; these will enable you to get the most solar heat gain, especially in the winter.

For best results, choose treatments that are installed on a track system. This way the entire window frame area will be covered.

If you’re looking to keep heat in, make sure to close the treatments at night when outside temperatures drop. Just don’t block the radiator.