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Monthly Archives: May 2015

discount blinds can save energy

How your discount blinds can save energy

Shoppers in the market for discount blinds are typically looking for products that offer maximum value for money, extending beyond decorative benefits to offer enhanced functionality, particularly in terms of saving energy through light and heat control. In fact, with energy bills rising and consumers increasingly aware of their environmental impact, there’s never been a better time to consider how your discount blinds can save energy.

Some specialised window coverings offer specific benefits designed to insulate your home; however when it comes to energy savings, any blind is better than none. Roman blinds, roller blinds or panel blinds will allow the homeowner to control the amount of light entering the home, helping reduce the need for air conditioning in summer. On the other hand, such products will have little effect in mitigating heat loss during winter, and therefore won’t have much impact on heating bills unless they are made from high grade blockout fabric. Vertical blinds and venetian blinds do allow for maximum light control and are therefore a worthwhile investment, but again, may not be so effective in controlling heat loss.

When purchasing discount blinds it’s worth remembering that some blinds will be more effective in terms of energy savings than others. As mentioned in our previous post, honeycell blinds, also known as cellular blinds, are designed with air pockets to control heat and optimise insulation. Meanwhile dual roller blinds have a highly effective blockout function.

discount blinds can save energy

The window coverings industry is currently working on an energy rating system to guide consumers looking for energy saving blinds. In the meantime, shoppers for discount blinds will need to be aware of the issues and rely on trustworthy retailers for the right advice. Any reputable retailer in this space will have staff on hand with many years of industry experience and the expertise to provide solid advice about energy savings.

For consumers with a more technical turn of mind, a measure such as R-value, a standard gauge in the building and construction sector that’s also widely used in the window furnishings industry, may be useful in assessing the energy saving profile of certain types of discount blinds. R-value measures thermal resistance and relates to how much a material inhibits temperature transfer for the benefit of insulation. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation. Some discount blinds that claim to be energy efficient will have been tested for their R-value, so it may be worth enquiring about this before making your purchase.

For many discount blind customers, while energy savings are of high importance, aesthetics still remain at the forefront of their minds. The good news is that products such as honeycell blinds and dual roller blinds are available in an impressive range of colours and textures that will suit most décor styles. Another solution to the energy saving challenge is to combine your blinds with good old fashioned heavy drapes and pelmets. As well as providing visual warmth to a room, these classic window treatments certainly stand the test of time in terms of keeping your home insulated.

A trio of inspired ideas for your blinds

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, there’s a strong possibility that you’re on the lookout for window blinds. It’s also highly likely that you’ll know by now that there are a huge range of cheap window blinds available on the market, from venetian blinds to roller blinds, honeycell blinds, panel blinds, holland blinds, roman blinds and more. There are also a number of more unusual products, as well as interesting ways to style them that you may not yet have considered. Here are three of our top picks.

Custom printed blinds

Coloured cheap window blindsIf you want to personalise a child’s bedroom with one of their favourite drawings, or open up a small bathroom with a beautiful seascape photograph, adding some excitement to your cheap window blind by custom printing it is a great way to add verve, style and undeniable uniqueness to any space. There are a number of specialised businesses operating in the Australian market that can turn the blank canvas of your plain roller blind into a distinctive artwork for a relatively low cost.

Coloured or sheer vertical blinds

coloured cheap window blindsReinvention has the power to change something workaday into something wonderful and this is definitely the case with vertical blinds. If your mission is to find cheap window blinds then look no further than this elegant, simple and cost-effective product, which has had a makeover in recent times. Previously reserved for office space and functional areas of the home, vertical blinds are now available in a wide array of fashionable colours to suit any décor scheme. They are also available in directional print patterns as well as sheer versions, a great way to channel the trend for sheers that is very much in vogue at the moment.

Luxe layering

luxe layering cheap window blindsLayering two kinds of window treatment such as venetian blinds, roller blinds, or roman blinds, with sheer or patterned curtains provides visual interest as well as the functional benefits of light control and privacy.  Sheer curtains throughout a room make the rest of your décor scheme a focus and if you are privileged enough to have great view they are a great asset.

The ability to contrast and complement patterns and textures is another benefit of layering. Rich timber venetian blinds can look great with the lightness of sheers or printeddrapes in a co-ordinating palette. Meanwhile the pairing of patterned, heavier drapes over say a sheer roller blind has a comparable effect in reverse.

White on white is another trend that’s emerging in layering, while sheer white on sheer white ups the impact even more to bring lightness and a sense of freshness to any interior. Relatively cheap window blinds definitely achieve the luxe look through this treatment; sheer white roman blinds with gossamer light sheer drapes layered over them will welcome buckets of natural light, not to mention a unique sense of style,into your home. While you many need to invest a little more in keeping this look clean, we think you’ll agree it’s worth it.

honeycomb blinds

Winter warmers – all about honeycell blinds

If you’ve recently purchased discount blinds online or you’re researching your options with a view to purchasing, you’ll no doubt already know that blinds come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, from venetian blinds to roller blinds, panel blinds, holland blinds and roman blinds.

While all these products offer different qualities, it’s worth bearing in mind that insulation and energy efficiency should be a key factor, particularly with winter fast approaching. Australians living in the cooler states may well be considering how to insulate their homes for greater heat retention, a sensible approach given the rising costs of energy bills.

A number of options are available – including complementing your blinds with extra insulation provided by curtains, perhaps with the added benefit of a pelmet. Such window treatments not only enhance the visual appeal and warmth of your home, they also contribute significantly to keeping temperatures cosy.

Another product well worth looking at if you’re purchasing discount blinds online, is honeycell blinds, also known as honeycomb shades.

honeycomb blinds

Often referred to as ‘cellular’ shades, ‘honeycomb’ shades or honeycell shades are constructed with cell pockets that resemble a honeycomb. This construction captures air in individual cells or pockets, resulting in highly efficient heat transfer reduction.

Increasingly popular in the Australian market, honeycomb shades are available in a wide range of colours. There are also numerous cell sizes available. It’s also worth knowing that there are a number of styles of honeycomb shade available, each offering different degrees of energy efficiency performance.

While some leading brands have developed their own highly specialised versions, the two key types of honeycell or honeycomb blinds are single cell and double cell.

Single cell honeycell blinds come in a variety of sizes, including 10mm and 20mm cell sizes. They feature a single air pocket with each honeycomb component stacked on top of the other, creating a blind made up of a series of single cells in a row.

Double cell shades are typically constructed using two 8-10mm that form a figure eight comprising two air pockets. Because they contain more pockets, they are generally considered better insulators.

Honeycell blinds are fairly technical products and some options are better designed and constructed than others. As with all such instances, you generally get what you pay for! So how do you know if your honeycomb blind is fit for purpose? Of course it’s worth asking the advice of an expert in the field, but it may also help to arm yourself with some technical knowledge too.

It is commonly accepted that the best way to measure the insulation capacity of these productsis to use something called R-Value. This is the measurement used to quantify the insulation properties of materials, as tested in a laboratory, and it calculates thermal resistance, or how much a given material prevents the transfer of heat. The honeycomb blind’s thermal resistance depends on the number of air pockets used. Because air is an inefficient conductor of heat, the more air pockets the product contains, the better it will perform.

Once you’ve done your homework, you’ll be pleased at the investment you’ve made. Honeycomb or cellular shades’ growing popularity is confirmation of their great benefits. And most suppliers will be able to provide fabric in a colours and texture that complements your other window furnishings, be they curtains, venetian blinds, roller blinds, panel blinds, holland blinds or roman blinds.