Do Cellular Shades Really Improve Energy Efficiency?
Yes, and the Department of Energy has the numbers to back it up, though the fit of the shade decides how much you get. A cellular shade hung tight to the opening does real work against Scottsdale heat, while one with gaps around the edges does far less. Our team has sold and installed window coverings since 1980, so here's how the savings happen.
How Custom Cellular Shades for Windows Reduce Heat
A cellular shade is a pleated fabric that is molded over honeycomb-shaped cells. Those cells hold pockets of still air between your room and the glass, and air that stays put moves heat slowly, which is the same idea behind the insulation in your walls.
The Department of Energy puts figures on it. Tightly installed cellular shades cut heat loss through windows by 40% or more, which works out to about 10% savings on home heating. In summer, they reduce unwanted solar heat coming through the window by up to 60%, bringing total solar gain down to around 20%. That second number is the one that matters most in our region.
What Benefits Hunter Douglas Cellular Shades Add to a Window
Duette® Cellular Shades come in several cell sizes and fabric opacities, from sheer through room-darkening. These fabrics use a honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design, which adds two air pockets compared with a standard cell.
Sliding glass doors get the same treatment through vertical cellular options, and those doors often hold the largest single piece of glass in the house.
Getting the Most from Cellular Window Shades
The product matters less than how it goes in. Here's where the savings hold up or leak away:
- An inside mount with a tight fit beats an outside mount for insulation, since the shade sits inside the opening, leaving little room for air to slip past.
- Side channels run along each edge of the shade, closing the gaps there, and the Department of Energy calls this the most effective way to raise the R-value of a covered window.
- Top-down/bottom-up operation lets you drop the top for daylight while the bottom stays closed over the glass.
- Closing the shades on west-facing windows by early afternoon helps block the heat before it reaches your floors and furniture.
- Motorization puts that schedule on autopilot, so the shades close while you're at work and open again in the evening.
We measure every opening ourselves and talk through the mounting options during the consultation because even a quarter-inch gap can make a big difference in your energy efficiency.
Book a Consultation for Custom Cellular Shades in Arizona
We're a veteran-owned, family-operated Hunter Douglas Centurion Dealer, and our installers hold Hunter Douglas Certified Master Installer credentials. Consultations are free, whether we come to your house or you visit the our showroom by appointment.
Call (480) 247-3367 or reach out to us online to schedule your consultation. The Reflective Designer serves Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Phoenix, Carefree, Rio Verde, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, and Peoria, AZ.
