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Outdoor Options for Roller Shades

3/30/2015

It is that time of year again, when people head out to their patios just to discover that the air temperature is fine - as long as you are in the shade. Sit in direct sunlight, and the patio is uncomfortable. This is when the phone rings for exterior roller shade products. To be sure, some people will opt for the standard 8 or 10 foot shade sold off the shelf at one of the big box stores. It will get the job done for a year or two and is very inexpensive.

The downside of this inexpensive roller shade is that it rarely fits the opening in a customized manner. Meaning that your beautifully landscaped backyard with thousands of dollars of patio furniture - has this misfit eyesore hanging right in the middle of your "backyard sanctuary." For those people for which this is an issue, independent dealers, with customizable product lines, are the alternative.

So what does the extra money for a customized outdoor roller shade buy you. A custom size, a professional installation, or upgraded clutches, or spring assist systems for extremely large blinds, or the ability to motorize, or add guide cables, or use side tracks, or even a zip system - to turn the entire patio into a screened porch - safe from most flying insects. Additionally, you get many color choices, fabric choices, density options, fascia finises, and top and back covers. Add to that a 5 year warranty - and you can see that when dealing with exterior roller shades - you get what you pay for.

We would love to work with you on your next outdoor roller shade project. Also, for a approximation of what your project might cost check out our online roller shade calculator.

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UL Listed Motorized Roller Shades

3/23/2015

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We recently came upon a post on one of the online window covering boards whereby a retailer had provided and installed motorized roller shades in a new construction project - only to discover that the city inspector would not sign-off the completion - because the motors where not labeled as UL certified.

This is a problem that could sneak up on someone because most roller shade motors are not UL listed, as such, a vendor and customer could be in for a difficult and expensive problem depending on the local building authorities attitude toward window covering motors. To be fair, many roller shade motors are 110V and as such are hardwired into an electrical system by a licensed electrician. At least in theory, that is how the careful and honest operators function.

Fortunately for us, we utilize a manufacturer that has gone to the time and expense to have their motors UL listed. So, what is so important about UL listing? The designation “UL Listed” certifies that the final assembled shade product meets rigorous electrical safety standards. Our offering is somewhat unique in the industry, the complete system has been approved by the UnderWriters Laboratory with the “UL Listed” designation.

What does the UL Listed Difference Mean?

That we have met UL’s more stringent requirements for “Listed” designation.
That continual monitoring by the UL is ongoing to assure continued quality and safety.
That UL Listing requirements of engineering, certification, inspection and labeling have been met.
That health and environmental safety has been elevated, by ensuring fire and shock hazard safety with the highest documented standard.

Although most window covering manufacturers use UL Recognized components, they have not met the standards for complete UL Listed motorized window shade systems. That one distinction can make the whole difference.

We would love to work with you on you next UL listed motorized roller shade project. Also, for a rough idea of what you project might cost - check out our online roller shade cost calculator.

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Solar Roller Shades for a Chuck E. Cheese Family Fun Pizza Restaurant

3/17/2015

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West Facing Windows with Complete Fabric Coverage

Chuck E. Cheese is building a new location in our area and we were fortunate enough to be tapped for the solar roller shade project. In this case, we actually used existing blinds from another one of their stores and had them reworked and re-purposed for the new store. This process required collecting the blinds, shipping them to the manufacturer in another state, providing new measures and specifications, and then receiving and installing the solar roller shades.

The re-purposed roller shades were outfitted with the latest and greatest pull chain technology for child safety and were tested for performance. Interestingly, the new job called for 11ea windows to be covered but we only had 10ea blinds to rebuild. Luckily, we were able to create an exact match for the 11th roller shade, and the end result was that it is impossible to tell which blind was the new blind.

A truly remarkable outcome with great effort on the part of our manufacturer. The pictures are from the completed install. The restaurant was still under construction at the time of the install so the imperfections you see are actually very dirty glass - the blinds were flawless.

We would love to help you with your roller shade project. Also, please check out our online roller shade cost estimator for a rough idea of your projects cost.

East Facing Windows - These Pictures Have Full Morning Sun on A Warm Arizona Morning - They Cooled the Area Immediately and Looked Better
Than These Pictures Can Capture

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Using Roller Shades for Energy Management

3/11/2015

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Insolation, Architecture, and Energy Management Insolation (INcident SOLar radiATION) where YOU live.

One of the primary reason solar shades are so popular is because they offer great energy management - especially in areas with a particularly high amount of solar irradiation. Here is some of the science behind the highest quality roller shades and why you should consider using them in your home and office.

Here is a term you have never probably heard - Insolation: a measure of solar radiation energy that strikes a given surface area during a specified period of time.

Due to the path of the sun in the sky over various geographical locations (with different latitudes), different parts of the USA and Canada receive differing amounts of solar radiation throughout the year. The amounts are also affected seasonally, with the sun's path changing slowly between summer and winter.

Insolation and Orientation Cities at lower latitudes receive higher insolation levels, and therefore have greater cooling concerns, and the orientation of the window (facing North, South, East or West) also significantly affects the amount of heat gain a window will allow.

North facing windows experience the least heat gain, receiving early morning sun and the late afternoon summer sun, which has such a great angle of incidence that most of the radiation is either reflected by the glass or blocked by walls flanking the windows

South facing windows collect solar heat the best during winter, and are easier to shade during the summer

East facing windows lose significant amounts of heat in winter, and seasonal sun path angles cause direct sunshine and allow more heat gain on summer mornings.

West facing windows have the same issues as east facing windows, except that they experience even more heat gain during summer afternoons because they get direct sun during the hottest part of the day.

Solar Screen Shades are particularly effective in passive solar applications, because they allow complete control over how much the shade is lowered during winter to take advantage of winter insolation to warm a building. Users can strike the perfect balance between glare control and increasing or decreasing solar heat gain at windows, whereas other types of window treatments block the view to block the sun.

What makes High Performance Fabrics so effective? Windows are struck by solar radiation, as are the shades within. Some of the radiation will be absorbed and the remainder reflected. That absorbed energy is converted to thermal energy, or heat, inside the structure.

High performance solar screen fabrics reflect more of that heat energy and absorb less, therefore decreasing the interior temperature increase. Even dark colors, which are traditionally less effective at reducing heat gain, have excellent thermal protection in high performance fabrics. Light colored High Performance fabrics both reduce heat gain and provide excellent view-through, due to the reflectivity of the metallized exterior of the fabric preventing light from flowing through the fabric itself.

Glare Control in Low Insolation Areas Energy saving is important, but so is comfort. Even areas without high insolation values can have uncomfortable levels of glare. Mid- and high level clouds can cause significant light diffusion and high levels of glare even when the sun isn't directly visible. Solar Screen Shades again strike the perfect balance, allowing just the right amount of light into an interior space, with complete control over that balance in the hands of the user.

We would love to work with you on your solar roller shade project. Also, for an online estimate of what your project might cost check out our online solar roller shade calculator.

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Consider a Roller Shade for Your Room Darkening Needs

3/2/2015

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An audio-visual blackout shade system is available with a fascia systems, access flap & hanger for custom pockets, or our extruded headbox. Side tracks and sill channels can significantly reduce light leakage. Blackout shade options are selected on an a la carte basis to get the right amount of light blockage for each application. For many school and conference applications, it may be preferable to install shades without tracks to allow some light into room participants to take notes.

In Commercial Applications Blackout Window Shades are ideal for:

Conference rooms.
Video training areas and screening rooms.
Schools.
Hospitals.
Hotel rooms.

In Residential Applications Blackout shades are ideal for room darkening. Shades may be used alone, or in conjunction with draperies, roman shades or solar shades. Additionally, some residential applications, with a wall of glass, may need an opaque window shade for total natural light and glare control.

Residential Blackout Shades are ideal for:

Home Theaters
Bedrooms
Home Office
Any area requiring total privacy

We have helped many customers find the right balance between light and room darkening - especially in their office areas, conference rooms and training areas. We would love to do the same for you. By way of getting the ball rolling, we provide an online cost estimation calculator for your budgeting process.

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Outdoor Options for Roller Shades

UL Listed Motorized Roller Shades

Solar Roller Shades for a Chuck E. Cheese Family Fun Pizza Restaurant

Using Roller Shades for Energy Management

Consider a Roller Shade for Your Room Darkening Needs

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