Windows & Doors Review Sun-Blocking Shades, Screens, and Awnings Boost Energy Efficiency and Comfort, Reduce Glare

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Additional Options
For homeowners with lower-tech tastes, awnings are a simple solution to a room that's too hot because of the sun, as are interior wood blinds and shutters, which also block sun and heat from entering the home when the slats are closed. In the winter, they help keep warm air indoors.

Traditional awnings, when mounted over south-facing windows, can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65 percent, estimates the U.S. Department of Energy. Over west-facing windows, which get the afternoon sun, they can ease incoming heat by 77 percent.

Likewise, a study by the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association found that in sweltering Phoenix, window awnings can save up to 26 percent of the energy used for air conditioning; in milder Boston, they can reduce the need for AC by as much as 33 percent.

Cellular or honeycomb shades help insulate windows by trapping the indoor heat so it can't waft out of windows, and by keeping hot air from sneaking in through windows when it's hot outside.

A triple-cell honeycomb shade can block 75 percent of heat transfer, estimates Ropele, so three-quarters of the heat that would penetrate an uncovered window can't get in or out.

Savings Plan
DOE spokesman Chris Kielich explains that builders and home buyers don't have to spend a fortune for energy-efficient window coverings. She points to insulated draperies and blinds and storm windows as cheaper ways to lower heating and air conditioning bills.

Still, she notes, energy-efficient shades and screens can pay off in extreme temperatures. "You get a better benefit economically if you live in extreme temperatures because you're saving more energy," Kielich says.

Weinstein predicts that automatic window shades, which hit the market as a luxury for high-end homeowners, eventually will become standard equipment, much like power steering and cell phones. "Once you experience it or have a friend who has it, you're going to put it in your house and never live without it," he says.

New View
Tightly woven mesh shades allow homeowners to see the outdoor view while blocking the sun's harmful rays and much of its heat from pouring into the home. How much they can see depends on the color of the PVC-coated fiberglass or polyester fabric. Clint Childress, product specialist and green building coordinator for Draper, has this advice for builders: Find out if the view trumps the homeowner's desire for energy efficiency—or vice versa.

Dark-colored shades, explains Childress, are easier to see through than light-colored mesh, but lighter hues are more energy efficient. Many manufacturers also make 100 percent opaque blackout shades, which block all light for homeowners who sleep during the day. JoEllen Ropele, buyer for hard products for Smith+Noble, agrees that the desires of the customer should determine the style and color of the shade. "The main thing when you're picking your window treatment is to know why you're purchasing it," she says. "What do you need from it? Then pick the appropriate treatment."

—BP