Let's go green

What does green actually mean?

Going green has become a common phrase in the past few years, but what does it actually mean? You could set your thermostat a bit lower in the winter to conserve energy, buy recyclable products, plant a tree, or bike to work. If those don’t appeal to you, you could start drinking water from an expensive, fashionable, aluminum canister, buy used clothes, or make your own cleaning products. There is an endless list of things you can do to become a little bit greener, but there are some methods that are more effective (and easier!) than others.

Take windows for example. Windows are the greatest source of wasted energy. Heat moves from warm to cold, so in the winter, windows let heat escape, and in the summer, windows let heat in. This means that you have to use more energy to heat or cool your home, which means you’re paying more. Window treatments are a great way to conserve energy as they can block up to 62% of the heat trying to enter and escape your home. The money you save on utility bills far outweighs the cost of the product, and you’re helping the environment by conserving fossil fuels.

There has never been a better time to invest in window treatments, either. With the economy hurting, window treatment companies are offering very competitive pricing. At Gordon’s Window Décor, everything is made right there in the store, so there are no shipping costs or middle men, which means a better price for you. All of Gordon’s products are individually signed by their creator as well, so if you’re not pleased, you know who to talk to.

Recycling, walking to work, and reusing leftover food containers can certainly make a difference in the environment, but it takes dedication. These things have to be done day after day, year after year, to make a difference. With insulating shades, all you have to do is shut them and you’re making the environment a better place, not to mention saving a bundle and increasing the value of your house for being more energy efficient.

So the next time you’re wondering how to go green, think about how much energy you could save by upgrading to insulating shades. New shades make your home look fresher, they save you money on your utility bills, and they conserve limited resources. It's a win-win situation for you... and the environment.

Designer’s Blog # 1:
THE FIRST EDITION! Every week about 10 of us get together for a designer’s meeting to brainstorm. We also talk about what’s new in the window covering industry. We decided to jump on the “blog wagon” and pass on to you the ideas we have and the lessons we learn each week!

STAYING WARM AND SAVING MONEY DONNA (Professional Designer- 25+ years):
I got a call from one of my clients yesterday. We installed EcoSmart Insulating cell shades throughout her home. The very first night after the install the temperature dropped below zero. She couldn’t believe how much of a difference the shades made. She couldn’t thank me enough for simply allowing her to read a book in her living room without shivering and without thinking about her heating bill every time she heard the furnace kick on. Her shades kept her house warm while saving her money on heating bills. Those kinds of calls make this job so gratifying.

AHANA (Marketing- 7+ years):
The call from Donna’s customer seemed like great marketing material, but being new to this industry I didn’t really understand exactly how the shades make a home warmer. Turns out the concept is pretty simple! Here’s how:

HOW THE SHADES WORK: The shades are made in a honeycomb pattern with two sets of cells that create an insulating layer of dead air between the window and the shade – much like insulation works in your walls. When the shade is down it traps the cold coming through the window between the shade and the glass (conductive heat loss). Also, when the shade is down it stops the warm air already in the room from hitting the cold glass, getting cold, then dropping down the glass and back into the room creating a cold draft (convection current). Cool stuff, eh?

WHAT ABOUT CONDENSATION: Mary Ann (Professional Designer- 21+ years)
One of my clients is concerned that her shades are creating condensation on the glass. I explained that if the shades work that well there would probably be some condensation because of the difference in temperature in front of the shade and behind the shade but she wondered if there is a solution for condensation.

GORDON (President- 23 years, Lifelong Engineer)
It is true, on really really cold days the window glass can get so cold behind our shades that it chills the air to the dew point where moisture in the air condenses out in visible moisture or even ice. When I see that in the morning I say YES! I am so glad I have these shades because otherwise all that cold would have been transferred through the house. Now at least it is trapped behind the shade and about 15 minutes after raising the shade the condensation evaporates so no harm done.

Now, Mary Ann’s customer is uncomfortable with the condensation and wants to reduce it, and she can quite easily. She just needs to raise the shade enough so it does not get quite so cold to reach the dew point. Her shades will be less efficient but we will have dealt with her priority – the condensation. And she will still have all that insulating power when she wants it i.e. when the humidity in her home drops and/or in the summer.

However, being an engineer I thought I had another idea on how to retain the shades full insulating power and deal with the condensation. So, I did an experiment at my home.

THE CONDENSATION SOLUTION HYPOTHESIS: We have an option for our EcoSmart shades called “Top Down - Bottom Up” which allows you to operate the shade normally, or lower the shade from the top. This is typically used to give you more privacy, while maintaining a full open view with lots of light from the top part.

However, I thought I had another use for this feature - if I lowered my shades from the top, keeping the bottom rail on the sill, I would trap the cold air in between the window and the shade. The warm moist air would rise and escape from the top while the drier, colder air would sink and be prevented from entering the home. This reduces condensation without diminishing the insulating power of the shade.

THE CONDENSATION SOLUTION EXPERIMENT:
I put two thermometers in front of two top down/bottom up shades overnight. One shade was closed all the way and the other had the top rail lowered about 4”. The next morning the temperatures in front of the shades were virtually identical and there was no condensation on the sill of the shade that had the top lowered! Problem solved! I still stopped the convection current and also lowered the dew point behind the shade. And would you believe the temperature difference – it was 6 degrees F outside, 69 inside the room with 32% humidity, and it was 40 at the sill between the shade and the glass and 62 on the immediate other side of the shade on the sill. This is a 22 degrees difference in 2 inches – all achieved by the shade. It was trapping an amazing amount of cold.

THE CONDENSATION SUMMARY
These days money is tight. For us there is almost no better feeling than knowing that we are manufacturing a product that helps our customers save money and at the same time helping the environment by using less energy to keep our homes comfortable. They say one of our average size shades will save about 2 full barrels of oil over 10 years! If you have any comments or questions about your window covering problems, let us know- our passion is helping customers solve problems so definitely bring it on! Until next week…