White and beige living room with white polywood shutters above a white couch.

Energy Efficiency And R-Value Of Window Treatments In San Jose

June 23, 2022

Energy efficiency can be a large requirement for your San Jose window treatments. With an inefficient covering, you might feel a draft due to heat loss, which can lead to bigger energy costs. To discover the most energy-efficient window treatments, you need to find out their R-values.

But what window treatments get the best R-value in San Jose?

What’s A Window Treatment’s R-Value in San Jose?

White polywood shutters in a white bedroom.

Everything in your house that plays a part with insulation -- from drywall to windows -- has an R-value. That rating tells you how well the object hinders thermal energy from going through it. A larger R-value and the object is a better insulator.

So why should you care about a window treatment’s R-value in San Jose? It just so happens that windows are one of the biggest energy wasters in your house. If you have to trap in the warm air during wintertime or keep your rooms cool in warmer weather, you have to have a window covering with more insulation. A window treatment with a big R-value lets you keep your house at your preferred setting.

Window Covering R-value Comparison Table

Every window covering is not created with the same care, which plays a large part in insulation. Though there may be a bit of variation with the materials and craftsmanship between convergent companies and models, the following chart shows what you’re going to see when comparing window coverings.

Window Covering	Average R-Value
Bare window	0.75 - 1
Mini-blinds	1.5 - 2
Window shades	2.5
Draperies	2 - 3
Real wood Shutters	3 - 4
Honeycomb Shades	4.5
Polywood® Plantation Shutters	>6

Source: R-values from Energy.gov and HouseLogic.

Remember, the larger the R-value number the more the window treatment helps insulate your home. It shouldn’t be a shock that mini-blinds, which use thin aluminum, give you almost no protection when compared to a more weighty treatment, like durable faux-wood interior shutters. That insurmountable difference in R-value can result in a distinction of several degrees – enough to feel an influence on whether you dial up the temperature and increase your energy use.

What Are The Factors In A Window Covering’s R-Value In San Jose?

Light gray cellular shades inside a white and rustic styled living room.

A couple of factors affect a window treatment’s R-value: build and substance. To start with, coverings that have lots of ways for heat loss won’t own a substantial R-value. For instance, blinds just hang there, allowing hot air to flow around the sides of the covering itself. However, interior shutters are custom-crafted to fit around the window pane, which traps heat against the window’s glass when the louvers are shut.

Secondly, what the product is made out of can have a significant bump in R-value. Take honeycomb shades, which are made with overlapping layers of fabric that create “cells” to trap heat. As a result, they should block air disbursement more efficiently than treatments like Roman shades. Likewise, our Polywood interior shutters, built from a impenetrable faux wood material, can trap heat more than more porous wood shutters. Polywood shutters also use weatherstripping, which results in a tight seal when the louvers are completely shut.

Up Your House’s R-value In San Jose

Does it seem like your home could be a little more energy-efficient? How about changing to Polywood shutters to up that R-value? Contact us at Sunburst Shutters San Jose by calling 916-542-1305 or submitting the form below to book your no-cost in-home consultation.

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