Beat The Heat with Hunter Douglas’ Duette® Architella®

If a large tree that was providing shade for your home is taken down, you will quickly realize the effects that direct sunlight streaming into your home can have on its interior temperature. Afternoon sunlight carries significant UV heat, which will not only raise temperatures but can also cause your furniture and décor to fade. If you’ve invested in energy-efficient windows then you will experience some relief from the hot sun, but you can do more.

The Benefits of Cellular Shades

Also commonly known as honeycomb shades, cellular shades are widely recognized as the right window treatment option for anyone who wants to improve their home’s thermal performance. Cellular shades can improve a home’s energy efficiency because they are constructed with honeycomb-shaped air pockets or cells. These cells create a layer of insulation between the window and the room’s ambient temperature. Many types of cellular shades feature a single air pocket, though more products are hitting the market featuring multiple cells that provide even better thermal performance. If you live in a climate where extreme temperatures can be common, such as Minnesota, then multi-cell shades are an investment that could pay valuable dividends in the form of lower monthly energy costs.

Hunter Douglas’ Duette^® Architella^® Cellular Shades

If you’re intrigued by the potential benefits of having cellular shades installed in your home, consider selecting shades from one of the most trusted names in window coverings—Hunter Douglas. Since first creating aluminum blinds in 1946, Hunter Douglas has been revolutionizing the industry. The Duette^® Architella^® line of cellular shades is a shining example of the technological advancements Hunter Douglas has pioneered.

This unique product—the most energy-efficient window treatment offered by Hunter Douglas—was specifically designed and developed to address the problem of uncovered windows, which can greatly increase a home’s heating and cooling energy usage. Architella^® shades take the air-trapping cellular structure of the original Duette honeycomb shade and make it even more thermally efficient by placing a cell within a cell.

How Do Duette^® Architella^® Honeycomb Shades Work?

Duette^® Architella^® shades can lighten the workload for your heating and cooling systems by reducing the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). This is a measurement of a product’s ability to reduce heat gain from the sun. When used with windows, it is the fraction of solar energy striking a window that passes through it to heat a room. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 (none) and 1 (all). The lower a window’s solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar energy it transmits (i.e., lower is better).

The SHGC of a standard double-glazed window is 0.76, meaning 76% of the incident solar energy is transmitted through it. If we add Duette^® Architella^® shades, the solar heat gain coefficient drops to 0.15—only 15% of the incident solar energy enters the room to heat it. This is a significant change that could greatly impact your energy costs.

The Trusted Choice for Window Shades

If you’re interested in having Hunter Douglas Duette^® Architella^® shades installed in your home, look to Hirshfield’s Window Fashions. We’ve been serving homeowners throughout the Midwest since 1894, and we’d love to add you to our extensive list of satisfied customers.