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

The R-Value Of Window Treatments And Shutters In Cleveland

June 23, 2022

Energy efficiency might be a large want for your Cleveland window treatments. With the wrong covering, you could feel a good deal of heat loss, which can lead to larger heating and cooling costs. To discover the most energy-efficient window treatments, you should to see their R-values.

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

What’s A Window Treatment’s R-Value in Cleveland?

White polywood shutters in a white bedroom.

Everything in your residence that plays a part with insulation -- from siding to windows -- is assigned an R-value. That rating represents how well the object prevents thermal energy from traveling through it. A larger R-value indicates a more efficient insulator.

But why should you care about a window treatment’s R-value in Cleveland? Well, because your windows are one of the most prevalent areas of heat loss in the home. If you want to keep in the warm air during cooler months or keep your house comfortable in summer, you need a window covering with good insulation. A window covering with a big R-value allows you to keep your home at your preferred setting.

Window Covering R-value Chart

Every window covering is not made with the same care, and therefore different coverings will have different r-values. Though there may be a little variation from the building material and quality between convergent makes and models, the following chart shows what you’re probably to see when contrasting window treatments.

Window Covering	Average R-Value
Only glass	0.75 - 1
Aluminum blinds	1.5 - 2
Shades	2.5
Drapes	2 - 3
Wood Shutters	3 - 4
Cellular Shades	4.5
Polywood® Plantation Shutters	>6

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

Keep in mind, the higher the R-value the more energy-efficient the window covering. It should come as no surprise that cheap blinds, usually made of flimsy aluminum, bring almost no protection when put up against a more solid covering, like faux-wood shutters. That large span in R-value can result in a variance of several degrees – enough to make an influence on if you change the thermostat and increase your energy use.

What Are The Factors In A Window Treatment’s R-Value In Cleveland?

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

A couple of factors affect a window covering's R-value: form and substance. To start with, treatments that have an ample amount of ways for heat to escape will not get a substantial R-value. For example, blinds and curtains just hang there, allowing hot air to flow around the sides of the covering. On the other hand, interior shutters are custom-crafted snuggly around the window opening, trapping air against the window’s glass when the louvers are shut.

Add that with what materials the product is made out of can have a huge bump in R-value. Take honeycomb shades, which are made with precisely positioned layers of fabric designed to trap hot air. As a result, they will stop air loss more effectively than coverings like Roman shades. Likewise, our Polywood louvered shutters, built from a impenetrable faux wood polymer, can trap heat loss more than hard wood shutters. Polywood shutters also employs seamless weatherstripping, which makes a snug seal sound your windows when the panels and louvers are snapped shut.

Increase Your Home's R-value In Cleveland

Do you feel like your home could be a tad bit more comfortable? How about a change to quality faux-wood shutters to raise that R-value? Contact us at Sunburst Shutters Cleveland by calling 440-561-6787 or submitting the form below to book your no-cost in-home consultation.

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