Solar Shades or Cellular Shades: Which is Best for Your Home
Did you know that a large portion of a home’s heating and cooling is lost through poorly insulated windows? This will most likely cause you to research energy-efficient shades and bring up two of the most popular options: solar shades and cellular shades. But which one is best for your home?
Solar Shades
Solar shades are designed to lessen the impact of harsh sunlight and keep damaging UV rays out of your home. This protects your furniture, flooring, artwork, and family safe from the sun’s damaging rays. To understand if you need solar shades or cellular shades, we have broken down the benefits into three categories:
- Light Control: Solar shades have a unique way of controlling light in that they are measured in openness percentages. A 10 percent openness factor allows 10 percent of UV rays into your home and blocks 95 percent of the other rays. A higher openness means more sunlight, and a lower openness means less sunlight.
- Insulation: While solar shades offer some degree of insulation, their main benefit is to block UV rays. If you find that a room is cold in the winter and hot in the summer, no matter what you do, you may need cellular shades. However, if your home’s temperature feels adequate and you want to block the UV rays coming in, solar shades are your best bet.
- Customization: When you choose Hunter Douglas Designer Solar Shades, you can pick from over 130 fabric and color options. From neutrals to bolds, this collection has an extensive number of styles.
Cellular Shades
Cellular shades are also known as honeycomb shades because of their unique shape. This is done for much more than just aesthetics! The fabric layer acts as an insulating barrier, keeping cool air or heat inside while preventing outside heat or air from coming in. As a result, these shades keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer while reducing your energy consumption.
- Light Control: Cellular shades are excellent for light control thanks to their various opacities. A lighter opacity will let in more sunlight, whereas a darker opacity will block more sunlight. Both solar and cellular shades are excellent at diffusing harsh sunlight, but cellular shades are a bit more traditional in how they control light.
- Insulation: When it comes to insulation, cellular shades take the cake. This is thanks to their thick honeycomb design that prevents any unwanted air from coming into your home and precious air from leaving your home. Good insulation also means better acoustics!
- Customization: With over 150 fabric and color options for you to choose from, Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb Shades do have solar shades slightly beat. If you want nearly endless options, this category of shades is best for you.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about whether you need solar shades or cellular shades, be sure to contact or visit us at All About The Windows! Our friendly team of experts is here to help you with your interior design needs. Plus, check out our promotions page for savings on Hunter Douglas products.
All About The Windows is located in Mobile, Alabama, and proudly serves the surrounding area, including Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Point Clear, Bay Minette, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Mobile, Alabama.