Beat the Heat: Best Choices to Keep The Interior of Your Home Cool
July 20, 2023

Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly.


Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer:


  • Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations.
  • Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes.
  • Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between.


Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds?

The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy.


In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows.


All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room.


What is the Best Choice?

The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room.


Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics.


How Much Can I Actually Save?

The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows.


For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer.


Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

Cordless Blinds: The New Standard for Safety in Window Coverings

23 Sep, 2024
Embracing the New Regulation in Window Covering Safety Window coverings are an essential part of interior decor, light control, and comfort. Blinds and shades allow you to define your style and set the mood. They protect indoor materials from fading in UV rays, and they are a part of every home and office. Naturally, the design of your window coverings should be elegant, convenient, and safe. Safety is the primary focus of the most recent regulations regarding window covering design. As of June 2024, all manufactured and custom-made blinds will avoid or minimize cord-based controls. The Importance of Blinds Safety Blinds are part of every room in your home and any residential space. From your child's bedroom to the rooms of every hospital, blinds make a space more comfortable both in terms of aesthetic design and light control. This means that blinds must be designed in a way that not only enhances not just comfort, but also safety. Blinds are used in the bedrooms and living spaces of our most at-risk family and community members, from the very young to the very old. The design of your blinds must be both easy to operate and absolutely safe. To achieve this goal, it is sometimes necessary to update design standards to eliminate risks that have existed with previous design standards. That is what the new window safety regulations seek to correct this year by eliminating corded blind controls. Why Are Corded Blinds Unsafe? The centuries, blinds have been controlled by pull cords, either separate or looped cords. These controls make clever use of loop and pulleys to control either the slat direction or the raised level of the blinds. Unfortunately, both pull cords and loops have been found statistically to pose a health and safety risk, especially for very young children. Corded blinds pose a strangling risk for toddlers and young children who might get tangled in the cords, which are mounted high above their heads. Cords also pose a potential risk for pets and for members of the community with limited dexterity or mobility, such as those who are disabled or elderly. The 2024 Cordless Blinds Regulation The 2024 Revised Window Safety regulation focuses on eliminating or drastically reducing the use of cords in blinds controls. This regulation covers Separate cord controls Continuous cord loops Gathered multi-cord controls The aim is to prevent the distribution of all free hanging operating cords, free hanging tilt cords and multiple cords into a cord connector. This regulation applies to all stock window coverings and custom made-to-order window coverings to ensure a universal increase in household safety. Blinds will either need to be cordless or have inaccessible helper cords that cannot be reached by children. Modern Blind Control Alternatives The good news is that this regulation is perfectly timed to align with recent innovations in blind control technology. While blinds relied on cords for centuries, this tradition is no longer necessary. Smart blinds, self-adjusting blinds, and advanced control blinds make it possible to leave cords behind. Not to mention a few tried-and-true cord alternatives like control wands and tension mounting. Smart and Automatic Blinds Automatic blinds are a popular alternative to manual cords. They respond to a wireless signal to raise or lower, and to open or close the slats. This removes the need for pull cords and loops that might pose a home safety risk. Many automatic blinds also conveniently integrate with your smart home for voice controls and routines. Wand Controlled Blinds Slat control has been possible using a turning wand for decades, but wand control has also been evolving. More advanced manual and automatic blinds can now be controlled with a safe hanging wand instead of cords. Automatic blind control wands may have button or directional push controls as well as the manual twist. Self-Adjusting Blinds Self-adjusting blinds use a tension and spring loaded mechanism that allows you to raise or lower blinds by pushing up or pulling down on the rigid lower bar. These require no electric parts and no cords while still giving you responsive control over the level of your blinds. Beautiful and Safe Window Coverings with Just Blinds  If you are looking for elegant new blinds for your home that meet your aesthetic tastes, desire for light-control function, and offer the latest in home environment safety, Just Blinds is here to help. We offer stock and custom blinds that elegantly comply with the new cordless safety regulations through a variety of innovative manual and automatic blind control options. Contact us today to make your home beautiful, functional, and safe with cordless custom window coverings.

Transforming Your Home With The Just Blinds Difference

08 Aug, 2024
The Just Blinds Difference: Transforming Your Home with Style and Precision Just Blinds has carved an over-35-year-long niche in the window treatment service community through top-notch quality and personalized service. We provide an unsurpassed range of window treatment products along with a customer-centric approach and tailored solutions. Here's what makes Just Blinds stand out: A Diverse Range of High-Quality Products Just Blinds provides an extensive selection of window treatments, including plantation shutters, wood blinds, shades, custom drapery, and motorized solutions. Each product is designed with attention to detail, ensuring both durability and aesthetic appeal. Plantation Shutters: We offer classic window treatments in wood and faux wood. The shutters offer excellent light control, privacy, and energy efficiency. Shades and Blinds: Options range from roller and honeycomb shades to wood and woven wood blinds. Each style of blinds caters to style preferences with close attention to functional needs. Custom Drapery: Our custom drapery service provides an elegant touch of luxury. Choose from a wide range of fabrics, colors, and styles that enhance the home's decor. Undecided? Consider the Just Blinds Difference Shopping for home improvement services and products can be overwhelming. Look for these tiebreakers: Better Business Bureau Membership. Just Blinds has been a proud member of BBB since 1999. Maintaining our A+ rating is a result of our commitment to transparency and integrity. Expert Advice. Wondering what the best blinds and window treatments meet your home's special requirements? Our window treatment experts are available by chat, email, or phone. Positive customer reviews. With nearly 200 five-star Google reviews and consistently positive customer comments on Facebook, hundreds of customers have complimented Just Blinds as the leader window treatments. Bringing the Showroom to You--Personalized Consultation One-on-one in-home consultations is the key to the Just Blinds personalized service. The consultation ensures that window treatment solutions meet the unique needs of the customer's home. Our expert representative brings the showroom to our Montgomery, Prattville, Birmingham, Lake Martin, and Auburn (and more) service areas. Expect the best advice and product demonstration while in the friendly confines of the home. Expert Measuring and Professional Installation Precision is key. To achieve the perfect fit for window treatments, Just Blinds provides expert measuring services. The Just Blinds professional installation team guarantees that every product is installed flawlessly, based on laser-accurate measurement for that stress-free polished look. Embracing Modern Technology with Motorization Our motorized window treatments can be controlled with the touch of a button. Integrate those motorized controls with smart home systems to add functionality to our window coverings. Motorization is especially handy in operating hard-to-reach windows and for customers needing convenient, effortless control. Commitment to Customer Satisfaction and Support Customer satisfaction is at the heart of the Just Blinds difference. The Just Blinds mission is building lasting relationships. We strive to accomplish that mission by providing exceptional service and high-quality products. Competitive Pricing and Attractive Financing Options We understand that window treatments can be a significant home improvement investment. With competitive pricing and attractive financing options, Just Blinds makes it easier for customers to improve their homes without financial undue strain. Choose Just Blinds to Make a Difference in Your Home Improvement Options Choose Just Blinds for quality, precision, and exceptional customer service. Personalized consultations and expert measuring and a diverse range of high-quality products and modern motorized solutions provide a complete and satisfying window treatment experience. Transform your home today with Just Blinds and see the difference for yourself. Let's Talk About Your Home Decorating Needs Call, email, or send us a message on our contact webpage. Check us out on our Facebook account . Contact us . We'd love to hear from you.
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