Wood Blinds Guidebook

Archive for the 'Energy Efficiency' Category

Why Are Wooden Blinds Great For Energy Efficiency?

Besides their fantastic looks, here’s a great reason to have wood blinds: windows account for almost 50% of the heat gain or loss.  So  your air conditioning or heating system will having to work  50% harder to maintain the temperature you’ve set in your thermostat.  That’s a lot of energy loss and you can just watch those dollars straight out of your pocket.  That’s more heat loss/gain than adding up the total absorption/dissipation from roof, walls, and attic combined together!  Windows without window blinds let in about 20 times more heat.  So it’s to your advantage to control how the heat enters or leaves your home, to really save on heating or air conditioning costs, depending on the season.

And if you have metal or plastic mini-blinds, consider ditching them for wood blinds.  Wood being the natural insulator that it is – is your friend when it comes to energy efficiency.  Those thin metal slats just aren’t that energy efficient, though better than nothing.  It just may be worth it to invest in sets of wood blinds for your home.  I don’t care if you have slat blinds or vertical blinds, just get some wood blinds!  While expensive at first, in the long run they can save you money on heating bills in the winter, and air conditioning costs in the summer.

You might want to try different styles and size of slats depending on whether it’s a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or living room in order to get more bang for you buck.

An interesting note: there is now a type of certification called “Greenguard”. Most retailers will carry some form of Greenguard blinds, which have been certified to reduce impact on indoor air quality and have been tested for chemicals to improve quality of life.

To recap here are the benefits of using wood blinds for energy efficiency purposes:

• Lower energy consumption means lower bills
• Home temperature will remain more consistent and comfortable
• Greatly reduced fading of furniture and decorations

So winterize, summerize…weatherize your home with wood blinds and you’ll be set.  Check out on how to choose blinds for your home - to  help in saving energy with wooden blinds.

How to Choose Blinds For Your Home

So it’s time to starting looking at wood blinds for your home…

Maybe you are considering new window treatments for your house, or just like the look and feel of wood blinds.  Or maybe you’ve just moved into a new apartment, and really want to upgrade the look of your living space.  So you’d like to know how to pick the set of blinds that’s right for you.

Wood blinds add a special warmth, strength, and elegance to most any room.  They come in many different materials, styles and sizes so it’s important to choose the blinds that fit your decorating style. One thing is for certain, by choosing wood blinds, you are showing the world that you have refined style and exquisite taste. They also pair really nicely with antique chest furniture in your home.  Or in your living room with your ottoman and a nice set of ottoman trays.  In another post I’ll talk about decorating with blinds in various rooms – kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom and more.  And of course it’s always important to be up to date on your bedroom decor tips – to make sure you blinds match everything in your bedroom.  Let’s keep that bedroom cozy, comfy AND stylish.

So how do you choose the right blinds for you?  Let’s take a look at the various factors in choosing blinds: slat width, wood, styles and treatments.

Slat width

Slats widths vary from 1″, 1 3/8″, 2″, 2 5/8″, and 3″. Why is this important?  Well of course your style and taste will come into play here for the look and feel you want to achieve.  But there are a few things to know.  When angled open, the narrow slats cause the incoming sunlight to diffuse more, diminishing your view more than the wide slats.  Fewer slats are needed with the wider-style slats, so when fully drawn the wide slats are less obstructive to the light entering from the top of the window than the narrow slats.  But perhaps you prefer the narrower look, so it’s up to your own individual taste.

Types of Wood

There are two primary types of wood to consider.  The first is North American Hardwood.  These blinds are quite resilient in humid conditions, and don’t warp or crack as easily as Ramin blinds.  They are more expensive, but will age better and have a longer lifespan.  The many types of wood in this category include aspen, basswood, maple, cherry, polar, cedar, white oak and pine.  They are often  made from basswood.

Ramin wood blinds are more sensitive to humid conditions due to a higher water content.  These imported blinds are heavier their hardwood cousins.  They may not be protected by the manufacturer if they crack or warp, so please be sure to check the warranty.

Blind Styles

There are several styles to choose from, let’s take a look:

Traditional – cords run through tiny holes the edges, allowing small amounts of light through.

Routeless – cords are connected to the edges of the blind, allowing for less light leakage when drawn closed.

Cloth Tapes – instead of cords, cloth tape is used to connect the slats instead of holes.  These are more common with the wide slats.

When choosing wood blinds there are several brands to choose from, including Hunter Douglas, Bali, Graber, Levelor.  These are the most popular.

The above examples are all of Venetian blinds (horizontal), but you also may want to consider Persian or slat (vertical) blinds for a different look, depending on the room.

Treatments/Finishes

The final important aspect in choosing blinds, is the type of treatment.  Consider what will fit in your budget but note that choosing a better finish will increase the lifespan of your blinds.

Painted – not as popular, they do protect the blinds, but you lose the wooden look

Sandblasted – this finish gives the blind a more detailed look.

Stained – Very popular, gives as smooth and shiny feel, and adds extra protect

Special Note: Energy Efficiency

Wood blinds are an excellent choice for energy efficiency, because wood is such a great insulator.  This will help you in saving energy and lowering the costs to cool and heat your home.  For all the great reasons to buy wooden blinds go to our welcome page for a great list of reasons.

I hope this article was helpful in showing you the factors for choosing wood blinds – happy shopping!