Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly’ Category

New directly from Hunter Douglas:

We’re taking energy conservation-and savings- to a whole new level with Duette™ Architella™ honeycomb shades. Already best sellers, due to their beauty and energy-efficiency, select Duette Architella shades may be eligible for a significant tax credit.  Click logo for more information.

I know this isn’t blind related but I have about had it. What they don’t eat? Habenaros

What they do eat: so far destroyed this summer include: roses, tomatoes, backyard grass, strawberries, tulips, any new baby tree, bell pepper (you would think different), sun flowers, daisies,  and now columbines. For a minute I was assuming it was pocket gophers which I thought I had under control finally (columbines are supposed to be deer proof) but two mule deer were standing right there munching away. I got a quick picture of one before they took off. It is a little fuzzy because I took it out of a closed window. Any suggestions (oil, scent and deer be gone type stuff isn’t working one bit)?

Double paned windows (the most typical out there) is made of two layers of glass with gas in the middle. Each pane of glass probably has a glazing on it to add to energy efficiency as well but the fact is, almost 50% of the heating and cooling escapes from your home through a double paned window! Also, they allow 10 to 15 times more heat energy to flow though them. Simply put, only 10% of the average house is covered with windows and 50% of the energy flows through them. You can block out a substantial amount with window coverings. Just putting a standard cellular shade can reduce heating and cooling costs by 15%-25% if you cover all your windows. That’s not a bad investment considering, over the lifetime of your home, those can more than pay for themselves just in lower electric or gas bills.

Woodwinds™ SuperNatural™ Shutters reach above and often beyond most composite shutters expectations. Not only does the Woodwinds astonishing durability set a new industry standard, the wood grain process looks really, just like real wood. It’s very hard to tell the difference even when touching the louvers. Below is a side by side comparison that Comfortex gave us verses real wood. You can find this AMERICAN made product at: Composite Shutters. It is a little more expensive than some of the other composite shutters on the market but, they are made here in the USA, ship in two weeks, and have a lifetime warranty. They are some of the best we have seen, have been tempted to sell cheaper products but the quality and the “no headaches” with Comfortex makes this a suburb buy. They are on sale for Jan and Feb.

	100% Wood Shutter	Comfortex Supernatural Shutter
Grain Comparison- The patent-pending SuperNatural color process creates the rich look of real wood grain. Subtle variations make these stained woodtones come alive with textural beauty.
Strength Comparison- The resilient SuperNatural finish protects every panel and frame for uncompromising performance. The integrity of the surface is no longer at risk from everyday wear and tear. Scratches and scuffs, typical of 100% wood, are a thing of the past.
Moisture Comparison- Moisture is no match for the SuperNatural finish. Condensation simply beads up the louvers rather than soaking in and ultimately warping or cracking the material. Real wood shutters do not have this innovative safeguard.

Prestige window fashions has some materials that they discontinued but still have material in stock that they need to get rid of. These are a true closeout so samples are not available. They are high quality, all options are available, and are at an excellent price while supplies last. We will take the colors off of the website as they let us know they are gone. There is a chance that an order cannot be placed or the total quantity cannot be produced and we will let you know. We can switch to a different fabric or just cancel it. Your choice. Again, these are high quality. The factory just has some left over due to supplier changes etc. It is an awesome deal. Go to: Closeout Woven Woods to see the colors and get a price.

Hunter Douglas goes Hunter Green

Hunter Douglas™ just started their Hunter Green™ program. Here are the details taken directly from Hunter Douglas™.

Hunter Douglas™ as you know, is the world wide leader in creating innovative, energy-efficient blinds that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are trying to serve a larger purpose along with making homes brighter, more beautiful, more private and more comfortable.

One of the first innovative, energy efficiency improvements Hunter Douglas™ came up with was the Duette™ honeycomb shades. Air contained within the honeycomb cells proved to be an effective insulator. Yes, they invented the honeycomb shade! It keeps the heat inside in the winter and the cold inside in the summer.

A couple of years ago, Hunter Douglas™ improved the honeycomb shade even more with the invention of the Duette Architella™, which takes this energy conservation to a whole new level. The patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design forms 3 air pockets to dramatically reduce heat flow at the window. Fact, if installed in every window of every American home, these shades have the potential to cut our annual energy consumption by 2 1/2% total!! That’s massive just for blinds.

Another thing that is impressive is that Hunter Douglas™ is going to reduce their energy consumption by 15%, water usage by 40% and overall carbon emissions by 20% over the next 3 years.

Some of the projects that Hunter Douglas™ is involved in finacially is supporting the Arbor Day Foundation™ by planting 15,000 new trees and saving over a million feet of rain forest. They also help Habitat for Humanity™ by donating a whopping 100,000 window coverings over the last 15 years.

As you can see, Hunter Douglas™ is doing their part in making the world a better place. They are indeed “Hunter Green™”.

We just added two new color lines in the Comfortex “sunscreens”. First is the Silver Screens II. Five new colors with that cool aluminum backing that gives this sunscreen the best reflective value on the market. The second group is called the Designer Screens in the Envisions collection. The Designer Screens are made of 100% polyester and have some of the nicest see-through fabrics out there. Another Comfortex first. Both lines are a 5% openness factor which is the most popular for the sunscreens.

We are now working on a page that will be dedicated solely to Eco friendly blinds. Fortunately, we are in a industry where energy efficiency added to a home is pretty much a given for all of our products and is probably the most cost effective way to block out the heat and cold from your home. Most blind companies now offer this “energy efficiency” for all their products. We feel that is just a given and information is fine on that but needs to go beyond just energy efficiency. We added three logos to our site in certain pages to show what is actually certified for environmentally friendly products and not just energy savings. First is the recyclable logo. This will be on pages where the manufacturer actually recycles that product or uses recycled materials. The second is the GreenGuard emblem that shows that the product will not emit any toxins in the air and lastly, the EcoGreen logo that meets several Department of Energy criteria. You can click on each logo to take you directly to those sites to verify that product is eco-friendly.

Information comes from Hunter Douglas Intermountain

Wider Slat Spacing-Starting April 1st.
The unique PVC-free formulation of the Hunter Douglas Everwood and Everwood X-tra slat allows them to offer wider expanses between ladders; in fact, the widest in the industry. On April 1, 2008 they will be moving to a wider 18″ tape spacing on the Everwood product line (currently 16″), a tribute to the exceptional slat stability Hunter Douglas has achieved. The Woodmates will remain the same at 16″.

Expanded Decorative Keystone Design Options for Country Woods-May 1st.
Effective May 1st, Hunter Douglas will be expanding the decorative keystone design options to include: Expose Fontana Ridge decorative keystones, Multiple keystones can be specified on a valance, custom positioning of keystones and contrasting colored keystones. Please call for this exciting new valance option.

New warranties on the Country Woods and Everwoods

Country Woods:
Fade Resistant, chemical resistant, moister resistance, scratch resistance and the interior wood is protected and the wood finish will not chip or crack.

Everwoods:
The blind will not fade, yellow, warp or bow, slats are 10-15% thicker than the nearest competitor, it can withstand temperatures up to 160 degress and lastly, if you have any of the above problems with the Everwoods, Hunter Douglas will replace it, free of charge, no questions asked, no hassles. This is an excellent warranty (actually, the best I have ever witnessed).

Just a reminder, horizontal blinds with decorative tapes or the de-light option will not close tightly when the slats are tilted up.

I just added a eco friendly catagory to our Friends page so you can check out sites that are related to that area. I want to brag about Green Home Building. This site has a wealth of information about running a “green” environment. It covers everything from growing your own food to total eco-friendly construction. Kelly and Rosana run this excellent site.

This information comes from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions and is interesting.

R-Value
The R-Value is simply the measure of a blinds ability to resist the heat flow which is very important during the cool winter. The higher the R-Value, the more insulation the blind provides and the better at reducing heat loss. A standard window (uncovered) has an R-value of around a 3.5. Some of the Hunter Douglas cellular (honeycomb shades) can increase the R-value up to a 7.86. That is more than double the energy efficiency and reduces heat loss by over 50%.

Coefficient
The solar heat gain coefficient is simply the amount of solar heat that passes through a window. The lower a products coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits and the cooler the home will be in the summer. 0= no heat and 1 means all heat. The coefficient of a standard (uncovered) window is around a .76 which basically means that 76% of the solar heat is transmitted through it. So, lets say you get a Hunter Douglas Architella, the coefficient would drop to a low of a .15. That means that only 15% of the solar heat will be transmitted. Basically, it saves on cooling costs.

Bamboo blind are roman roll up shades that are made of or grasses and bamboo. Bamboo shades have become very stylish over the last couple of years mainly because of pricing and quality.

Bamboo shades are now much nicer and are not necessarily made of total bamboo. Every blind is unique in workman ship. Most bamboo shades are made with grasses and bamboo combined and some are made with different types of sticks and bamboo material.

What is nice about bamboo shades is that it is very friendly to the environment. All mechanisms of this blind are made from natural materials including the optional backing made of cotton that can protect the blind. This makes the shades recyclable and long lasting. The average shade can last from five to twenty five years.