In states like Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and elsewhere in the southern United States, enjoying the summertime comes with a wide range of considerations. Managing indoor temperatures in the midst of extreme outdoor temperatures is one of those major considerations. Residents of warm-weather states cope with high temperatures in a variety of ways. Some of these methods include blasting air conditioning systems on high as well as staying indoors during daytime hours. Although these methods are marginally effective, both can be significantly costly to homeowners as they run electric bills up for the sake of coolness and comfortability. Luckily, there is a more cost-efficient way for residents of warm-weather states to maintain appropriate indoor temperatures: window shading solutions.
Window shading solutions, such as rolling shutters and solar Solution Screens, offer homeowners several cost-saving benefits while protecting their indoor spaces from heat transfer and greenhouse effects. Window shading systems also allow homeowners to rely less on air conditioning systems, thus freeing these systems up to longer life spans and less pressing technical issues. Learning more about the energy savings that window shutters and screens can provide you can save you significant amounts in utility costs in the short and long term. Remember, if you’re ever in need of window shutters or screens in Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona, you can always contact our team for a free estimate below.
Boost Energy Efficiency with Window Shutters & Screens
Energy-efficient window attachments minimize energy waste by supporting the effectiveness of air conditioning systems while protecting your home from extreme outdoor temperatures. A little-known fact is that window coverings such as rolling shutters can actually offer energy savings and cost benefits during both cold and warm weather months. Their insulated slats shut down the transfer of both heat and coolness between outdoor air, windows, and your home’s rooms. Even though energy-efficient window coverings are very relevant during summertime, investing in them can help support comfort and savings year-round.
What kind of issues do homes often experience during warm months? Many times, we get customers saying that one room in their house gets much warmer than the others. Other times, customers vent about the way solar radiation coming in through their windows gets trapped inside their homes. In our experience, these issues are usually caused by heat energy that changes wavelength as it passes through window glass and cannot go back out the way it came in. This is similar to the greenhouse effect that traps heat energy in our atmosphere and prevents heat returning back to space. The heat energy from sunlight that gets trapped in our cars, which heats the car’s interior air up to temperatures higher than outdoor temperatures, acts in a similar way.
If your home has rooms warmer than other rooms or it is suffering from greenhouse effects, energy-efficient window attachments could be just the solution for you. Energy-efficient window attachments can boost the effectiveness of both air conditioning systems and heating systems within the home, stabilizing indoor temperatures and insulating residential spaces from fluctuating outdoor conditions. Energy-efficient window attachments do this by keeping temperature-controlled air from losing coolness or heat to exposed window surfaces.
Homeowners in states like Arizona could especially benefit from window shading systems. According to Sense.com, Arizona leads the rest of the United States with the highest cost of cooling during the summertime at $477 for the average size home. This is about 4 times the national average. Anyone who does the math would understand why energy-efficient window treatments should be top of mind for Arizona homeowners.
Government-Backed Research into Energy-Efficient Window Attachments
Why are certain window attachments considered energy-efficient and others are not? It’s simple: shading solutions like window shutters and screens have proven their ability to provide heat protection. These capabilities are supported by studies that have been done at institutions such as the Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory. Testing data sourced by the Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory (an Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC) project partner and certification lab) shows rolling shutters have one of the best insulation ratings for heat protection and cold protection on the market.
The Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory lists rolling shutters as the top-rated window covering for both warm and cool weather climates. Exterior retractable screens are very close in their ability to provide excellent heat protection. These insights are just the beginning of the research being conducted into heat transfer and the effectiveness of window shading solutions. The Department of Energy has recently awarded the Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC) with $1.6 million in cost-shared funding to provide testing, certification, and labeling to denote the energy-efficient window attachments on the market. There is information to suggest that this testing process is near completion and results will be available soon. All in all, it’s looking like government institutions and industry organizations like the AERC recommend investing in the proper categorization of window coverings, whether they be energy-efficient or not. This can only further indicate the true effectiveness of some of the products deemed energy-efficient.
Save on Energy Costs with Window Shading Solutions
Let’s look into the different ways that energy-efficient window attachments save homeowners significant amounts of money in otherwise hefty energy expenses. For context, it’s known that energy waste is largely related to the residential home’s total window surface area. This fact indicates the important role that windows play in determining energy waste and energy costs related to air conditioning. Over the past several decades, as construction standards have improved and more attention has been given to energy savings, construction companies have begun to build houses with better materials and insulation in their roofs and walls. However, the windows and doors of these same upgraded homes are still allowing too much heat and coolness into the home from the outside environment.
Statistics on Energy-Efficient Window Shutters & Screens
Although it’s not common knowledge, studies show that up to 70% of the energy that homeowners waste due to inefficient temperature control is lost through the home’s windows and doors. This seems like a rather significant percentage, yes? These facts just go to show how much of an impact window attachments which provide heat protection can do for your bottom line. Unsurprisingly, researchers have found that the more surface area of window glass there is compared to the surface area of a wall, the more that energy loss increases. Test results show that at least 30% of total home energy costs can be saved by installing energy-efficient window attachments. In the best-case scenario, energy-efficient window attachments can save homeowners up to 60%.
Lay Off the Air Conditioning System
Many of the homeowners who reach out to our team at Tucson Rolling Shutters & Screens have experienced issues with their air conditioning systems before making it to us. More often than not, these customers want to do everything in their control to keep their AC system intact. This is often accomplished by maximizing other cooling methods, therefore letting the air conditioning systems run without undue pressure. These customers ask us whether window screens and shutters can alleviate the need to rely on A/C systems to the point of overburdening them? The answer is simple: absolutely. From decades of experience in the industry, we know that if you can reduce the load on your air conditioning system, you can extend the useful life span of the system further into the future.
Pacing the use of your air conditioning system can help you get all that it’s worth from your investment. The method of cooling which we recommend, which includes methods of heat protection via window attachments, allows you to protect the health of your air conditioning system and add several years to its useful life span. This method also allows you to minimize the overall repair costs to your air conditioning system that you would otherwise have to make sooner rather than later. The financial benefits of these savings happen on a regular basis and they add up over time. In summary, window attachments can do a lot to keep homeowners from overburdening their air conditioning systems, thus allowing them to push needed repairs and replacements further into the future.Save on Energy Costs Year-Round
Note that the energy cost savings we’ve detailed here aren’t limited to just one season out of the year. This is especially true if you select rolling shutters as the energy-efficient window attachments for your home. Window coverings like rolling shutters are actually slightly more effective at stopping cold than protecting from heat. That being the case, they still work great at insulating spaces in both warm and cool climates from outside elements. The slats on rolling shutters are insulated with a dense foam that stops the transfer of cold and heat through the slat. Whether it’s the heat of summertime you’re trying to avoid or the intense cold of the winter, rolling shutters can keep outdoor temperatures from destabilizing the air in your indoor temperature-controlled space, thus saving you money at plenty of different times of the year.
Rolling shutters aren’t the only year-round shading solutions, however. Retractable solar screens such as the Solution Screen available at Tucson Rolling Shutters & Screens are designed to absorb radiant heat and keep it from passing through windows and doors. We’ve found that our screens work great when surrounding and protecting patio areas. During the wintertime, these Solution Screens are able to block freezing wind from patios while helping homeowners retain the heat of a fireplace or space heater. Just imagine the capacity that these screens have to protect your space from window-related heat transfer. Our energy-saving window shading solutions, including our retractable solar screens and our rolling shutters, do a wonderful job of limiting heat transfer, maximizing your indoor comfort, and lowering otherwise expensive energy costs.
Select Energy-Efficient Window Shutters & Screens
The two most common and unplanned expenses that come with buying or building a new home are landscaping and window coverings. The lack of window attachment planning has to do with the widespread lack of information amongst consumers and architects regarding the benefits of energy-efficient window attachments. That being said, customers in the market for cooling solutions should be aware that the benefits of energy-efficient window attachments far outweigh the costs associated with them. As a prominent provider of solar screens and rolling shutters, we’ve had thousands of customers comment positively on the first time that they’ve dropped their solar screen down. When these customers get the chance to experience the benefits of heat protection, they often say, “It’s like you lowered the AC several degrees instantaneously”. All homeowners deserve this feeling, especially in the midst of extreme temperatures. So don’t be afraid to do the research necessary to find the window shutters or screens that are right for you and your home. No longer must homeowners be confined to supplementary cooling solutions such as portable fans or blackout curtains.
Reach Out to TRSS for Energy-Efficient Window Attachments
Tucson Rolling Shutter & Screens is one of the premier providers of retractable solar screens and rolling shutters in the state of Arizona. Our company services Phoenix, Tucson, and the surrounding areas and offers products in a wide range of colors, materials, and aesthetics, so our customers can trust us to deliver on their needs for their homes. Our team is ready and willing to consult you, provide you energy-efficient window attachment options that fit your specifications, and work with you throughout the creation process to get the elements right. No matter what you’re looking for, Tucson Rolling Shutters & Screens has window shutters and screens that are sure to impress! Contact our team today to secure your free window attachment estimate. Also feel free to stop by one of our showrooms in Tucson or Tempe, AZ.
