The Best Eco-Friendly Window Treatments

The Best Eco-Friendly Window Treatments 

Our window treatments are both stylish and eco-friendly. Today, we at Budget Blinds of Scottsdale want to go over some of our best energy-efficient and eco-friendly window treatment options. 

Energy-Efficient Window Treatments

Your home loses most of its energy efficiency through doors and windows. In fact, about 

30% of your home’s energy is lost through your windows. You can reduce that loss of energy by upgrading your windows and upgrading your window treatments to these energy-efficient options that boast higher R values. 

Cellular Shades

We’re huge advocates for cellular shades, which are the most energy-efficient and eco-friendly window shades on the market. Their unique design allows for heat to be trapped within their insulating honeycomb cells. Let’s back up first, though.

Cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades, aren’t continuous sheets of fabric like traditional roller shades are. If you look at them from the side, you’ll see honeycomb-shaped pockets of air between the pleats. Depending on the type of cellular shade you buy, there can be one line of pockets (single-celled), or two lines (double celled).

Cellular shades have high R-values thanks to those layers and air pockets. The single-cell fabric has an R-Value between 1.6 and 2.5, and the double cell fabric has a metric R-value between 2.8 and 4.0. 

Drapery

Properly installed insulating drapes that are made of energy-efficient fabrics and are flush with your walls and windows can achieve high R values as well! For the best insulating results, choose closed-weave fabrics that are either pink, yellow, green, or white. If you prefer darker colors, you can always add a white liner to the back. 

Energy-Efficient Materials

The material your window treatment is made out of also plays a role in how eco-friendly it is. 

For energy efficiency, we recommend choosing high-quality wool-blend curtains and drapes. The material is especially great at keeping chilly air out in the colder months and air conditioning in during the warmer months. There is a reason you pull on a thick wool sweater during the winter months, after all! High-quality wool is key here, as higher quality wool is likely to be more tightly woven, thus reducing any heat loss. 

Also, consider the weight of the fabric. Typically speaking, the heavier the fabric, the better it will be at insulating your home. On top of that, many curtains and drapes can have a thermally-insulated layer added to them, and many shades can have a liner added to the back of them to both increase privacy and energy efficiency. 

Eco-Friendly Window Treatments

When it comes to eco-friendly window treatments, all of our wood products are sourced from here in America. We’re proud of the lower environmental impact we’ve been able to create from this. However, wood isn’t the most eco-friendly option we offer. For that, we look to bamboo. 

Our bamboo window shades are perfect for homeowners who want the richness of wood without the cost to the environment. Bamboo grows much faster than trees and is readily available in large amounts and is more affordable than other blinds. Our bamboo shades can also be customized to fit awkward-sized windows such as arched and angled windows.

Additionally, our bamboo shades are made from 100% organic, eco-friendly materials, and sourced from throughout the world in locals such as Asia and the Far East.

Window Treatments to Avoid If You Want to be Eco-Friendly

If you want to be environmentally conscious, avoid this one material: faux wood or composite. Though it looks like the real deal, faux wood is actually made of PVC. PVC is a type of synthetic plastic and is considered to be one of the most damaging plastics to the environment due to its production and disposal. 

When it isn’t mixed with another compound, PVC can be recycled. However, if the faux wood or composite window treatments are mixed with another material such as hardwood, they can no longer be recycled. We recommend avoiding this option if you want to be eco-friendly. 

However, to help offset that, our composite shutters have high R-values, which means they will make your home more energy-efficient in the long run as well. 

To browse all of our eco-friendly options, visit us online. If you have any questions or want to get the process started, give us a call at 623-303-4515 or schedule your free design consultation.