Roller shades help manage electric bills, and are a very versatile decorator accessory. There are several different styles of roller shades that can help reduce electric bills by aiding in temperature control in rooms. These are the main types sold today that can help with energy costs: 1. Blackout Roller Shades - These opaque window shades will totally block incoming light from outside. By keeping the sunlight out, room temperatures are reduced, so you do not need to run your air conditioner as often or as long. In winter, the dark window shades can provide some insulating effect, keeping warm air inside the room instead of diffusing out through the window glass. The heavier the material, the better the insulating effect, for cooling or heating. 2. Solar Roller Shades - These work by allowing diffuse lighting into a room, while keeping the harsh glare outside, and they provide privacy without eliminating light as blackout roller shades do. These protect furniture against ultra violet sunrays that can damage or fade materials and wood. Solar roller shades are ideal for any sun facing room where you want to have some sun control and heat reduction capability. Like all roller shades, they are adjustable, so you can have full window views whenever you desire. Roller shades help manage electric bills by giving you options for both room lighting and heat management. Thick material on these window shades helps insulate rooms from drafts and leaks around windows. By mounting the window shades fully outside the window frame you have maximum coverage. You can even encase them in side runner boxes for additional control. Keeping sunlight out of a room during hot summer weather helps keep rooms cooler, so you do not have to run fans or air conditioners as much. This will affect your electric bill significantly. Since you can adjust the window shades up or down, you can allow as much light into a room as you want during the day. Using the translucent solar shades will provide the air insulation factor plus allow greater levels of light into rooms. The glare free light is best for media rooms, where glare can interfere with television or computer monitor viewing. Because the material in solar shades is thicker, they also provide some protection against airflow and draftiness even though they allow diffuse light into the room. They are very useful for allowing light to enter a room where the outdoor view is less than desirable. There is another type of roller shade you can purchase, that is a screen type for sun control. These allow you to still see the view outdoors, but provide minimal privacy and insulation, still better than bare windows. Roller shades are available in decorator fabrics, at higher cost. Materials can be fabric coated with vinyl, PVC coated polyester, and woven fabrics. The fabric coated vinyl sleep (blackout) shades are the least expensive, and do not pin hole, crack or break like the old styles used to do. All roller shades come with either a standard hem bar or a decorative bottom bar to lend durability to the shade in use. Woven fabric window shades are light filtering, and can add to the decorative theme of your room. Although it is possible to find lower price roller shades in discount stores, the true and better value comes from higher priced and custom roller shades. Materials are better quality, and have better durability and protective qualities than inexpensive roller shades. Roller shades can be used alone or combined with decorative window treatments. They are attractive and energy efficient. It is easy to see why roller shades help manage electric bills, reduce air conditioner wear and tear, and add flair to a room.
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