3 WAYS AUTOMATED WINDOW TREATMENTS HELP HOMEOWNERS GO GREEN

If you’re looking for a new way to help reduce the carbon footprint of your Morris County, NJ area home, you may not be thinking about what’s on your windows. However, how you manage the sun’s influence on your home can significantly impact the amount of energy you use. Motorized shades allow homeowners to easily control when the shades are open or closed. The effect can be a more efficient home that not only benefits the environment but helps your family save on monthly electricity bills. To learn more about these benefits, continue reading.

BLOCK THE HEAT

During the summer time, your AC is probably one of the biggest energy drains on your home. Part of the reason that your home gains so much heat throughout the day are your windows--where the sun’s rays access your home more easily through the transparent material. Closing the shades throughout the hottest parts of the day can help reduce the amount of heat entering your home and thus how hard your air conditioning has to work.

But who has time to close every shade, blind and drape throughout his or her home before leaving for work? That’s where motorized shades come into play. Using a “summertime” scene, you can have every shade close at the touch of one button. These energy saving benefits are further enhanced by a second level of control. When you leave home and secure your smart door lock, your system automatically goes into your typical away settings—which means automatically closed shades in the summer.

During the summer, we would recommend using solar shades that repel UV rays and therefore further reduce your energy use. Dual roller shades allow you to have two shades on each window, so you can use whatever is most appropriate for the time and the season. Use sheer shades for increased privacy and light blocking and blackout shades for total privacy and darkness.

BETTER INSULATE YOUR HOME

In the wintertime, your AC is replaced by the heat in terms of energy use. In this case, the sun’s natural heat can help you stop jacking up the heater. When you’re working, your home can be collecting heat by leaving the shades open. A “wintertime” scene programmed into your smart home system will make sure that all shades are open at the appropriate time.

When the sun starts to set, you’ll want those shades to be closed to help keep the heat from escaping through the window. By utilizing heat sensors, your shades can close when the temperature inside your house begins to drop.

BETTER USE THE LIGHT

All throughout the year, the sun’s natural light can be a free way to light your home. By pairing your shades with home lighting control, you can achieve a variety of light levels using a combination of natural and artificial light.

A solar sensor can track how much natural light is entering your home spaces and adjust the motorized shades to fit your comfort levels. It can even work in tandem with smart light fixtures to lower your energy consumption. Instead of relying on artificial lighting, the shades will automatically rise while the light fixtures will dim, keeping your room at the perfect lighting levels without wasting energy.

Motorized shades help you use the sun to your advantage with minimal effort. To learn more, contact Total Home today.