Are you enjoying your summer? The sunshine and blue skies we’ve been having are what we look forward to all winter long, but the heat sure is on this year. Whew! With temperatures climbing into the 90s and intense sunshine on top of that, it’s probably taking a toll on your home and your energy bills. Are you, your air conditioner, and your wallet ready for some sweet relief? Window coverings can turn your home from sweltering to comfortable–like a summertime oasis. Here are three things to consider as you choose window coverings to help you save on your energy bills this summer–and all year long.
Save with Features for Location
The direction your windows face makes all the difference when it comes to how sunshine interacts with your home. North and south facing windows won’t get the intense direct rays that east and west facing windows do. Choosing window coverings that offer the right features for the location of your windows can really help you to save on your energy bills. For east and west facing windows, insulation at the window is key, and you’ll often want ways to reduce glare and draw in light with north and south facing windows. Top down bottom up operation is great for that. Oftentimes you need completely different features for the window shades in your living room as compared to those in your bedroom. That’s why Hunter Douglas offers fabrics, materials, and textures that work well with many window covering styles. You get all the beauty and all the benefits! By carefully selecting the features of your window shades, you can keep the summer sun’s heat from plaguing your home–and your energy bills–while still enjoying the benefits of natural light, privacy, and view-through.
Save with Automation
If you want to experience serious energy savings, then we have two words for you: PowerView motorization. With motorized shades, you set the scenes along with the schedule, and it takes care of the rest. PowerView adjusts your window shades automatically throughout the day, so your home’s atmosphere is always ideal. As the sun moves, so do your shades. In fact, you can even program PowerView to adjust your window coverings based on your ever-changing local sunrise and sunset times. With an automatic schedule, intense sun doesn’t get a chance to heat up your home regardless of whether you’re there or not. And when you are away, you can control your shades at the touch of a button with the PowerView App from your favorite device! Convenience, comfort, and consistency…PowerView is a sure way to save on your energy bills and upgrade your lifestyle.
Save with Energy-Efficiency
If your air conditioner is running non-stop on hot days, or if you’re sacrificing your comfort to cut costs, it’s time for a better solution. Obviously if you’re looking to save on your energy bills, you want to increase the energy-efficiency of your home. But, how? Window shades are one of the best ways to do that. Bare windows magnify the sun and heat–which means it can be hotter inside your home than out! Energy-efficient window coverings have the ability to insulate your home, so they help maintain a consistent temperature. That means your air conditioner doesn’t need to work as hard, and that translates into both comfort and savings for you! Duette shades are the industry leader when it comes to energy-efficiency. Their cell-within-cell structure provides pockets of air that protect your home from the elements just outside your windows. It’s no wonder why they’ve earned the highest ranking.
Start to Save On Your Energy Bills…
Don’t spend another gorgeous summer day dreading the effects of the sun on your home and wallet. It’s time to save on your energy bills with window coverings that are just right for your unique spaces. On top of increasing energy-efficiency, they’ll also add style, sophistication, and the benefits of light control and privacy. So, contact us today, at Metropolitan Window Fashions, for a free, in-home consultation.
Heat rises, and when you have skylights, heat loss is a major concern. Both Duette and Applause shades offer the cellular pleats, with pockets of air, that provide insulation for your windows. This cell-within-cell design allows you to hold onto heat, instead of it escaping. Here on the East Coast, that’s important. Another dynamic feature of skylight shades is one you may not have heard about. Skylift–an innovation of Hunter Douglas–upgrades your skylight shades, for energy efficient performance. Specialized weather stripping provides you with more protection against heat loss. Two levels of energy efficiency for insulation that equals cost savings!
One of the most asked questions when dealing with skylights is “How do they Operate”? Typically, these shades are located in hard to reach areas, and you will need to be able to operate them easily to control when the light should come through, and how much. It’s all based on your preferences and how you want to use your space. For many of our clients, light-filtering skylight shades bring in soft light that provides all the daylighting they want–only adjusting the shades on rare occasions. A manual Extension Wand provides a simple and suitable option to open and close your shades. For those clients who need room-darkening skylight shades, access to sunlight on a daily basis becomes more important. PowerView motorization offers you the ease and convenience to adjust your shades open and closed at the touch of a button. Use the PowerView App to schedule those adjustments based on your lifestyle, and save your favorite scenes for access to the amount of light you prefer. 
The fabric choices, specific to Duette shades and Applause shades, offer stylish beauty and valuable function. The sleek, low-profile pleats offer structured design for your ceiling with colors that blend in when your skylight shades are closed. Depending on the room location of your skylights, your fabric choices will add amazing benefits. Room-darkening fabrics are perfect for your bedrooms, where sunlight streaming in just after sunrise is the last thing you want. When choosing fabrics for your daily living spaces, like your kitchen or living room, you may want light-filtering fabrics that invite soft natural light without the glare of direct light overhead. This is where light-filtering fabrics will enhance the atmosphere of your home. The fabrics of these skylight shades provide up to 99% UV protection, maintaining the quality of your valuables for years to come.
Duette window shades feature cellular technology that gives you the insulation you need at the window. From single or double cell structure of the original Duettes, to the cell-within-cell design of Duette Architella, your home will feature the highest standards of energy efficiency. Duette window shades keep the warm air from escaping during the coldest times of year, and they keep the hot air out of your home in the summer. Right now, you can save $100 on 4 duette shades.
The organized pleats, the sophisticated colors, the custom opacities–it’s style you’ll love. Create the perfect look in your home with Duette window shades. Choose from a range of opacities to bring the atmosphere of your choice to individual rooms in your home, from light filtering to room darkening. The classic styling of colors offer you the chance to coordinate the decor of your home for a polished look. With a selection of pleats sizes, you can customize your shades exactly the way you want–including shades for patio doors, offered with VertiGlide.
Duette window shades can help your home reach its full potential with features that you won’t be able to live without. 
Large-scale windows, similar to these, are likely a centerpiece of your home. There’s nothing finer than sitting down with a cup of coffee and taking in your beautiful landscape from your favorite chair…except when the sun’s out and you can’t see it at all! Harsh glare is just one problem, though. UV rays are streaming in along with that sunlight. Over time, they damage and discolor your prized furnishings, flooring, and art. Another negative effect that you can’t see, but you can certainly feel, is the temperature. Excessive natural lighting from your floor-to-ceiling windows can overheat the interior of your home. So, rather than relaxing, all you can think about is escaping. If this “before” scene is one you can relate to, it’s time to experience the “after” of before and after window coverings. 