Keeping the “Brrr!” Outside

Keeping the “Brrr!” Outside

Winter is upon us with a vengeance, and if you’re tired of walking around the house wrapped in a blanket, we’ve got some shiver-reducing tips that will have you warmed up in no time, while reducing the dreaded energy bill.

1. Get Friendly with a Space Heater

At nighttime when the temperature outside plummets, it may seem like your heating system is powerless but your bill is limitless. The solution to your woes is simple- space heaters. They can be adjusted for individual comfort levels, so you don’t need to shiver for the sake of the easily overheated members of your family. By turning down your thermostat to the mid-sixties at night and turning up the space heaters in the bedrooms, you can save a chunk of change. For safety’s sake, though, please invest in new space heaters with concealed coils that turn off when tipped over. Have small children? Wait to turn on the heater until bedtime, and remove it from your children’s rooms in the morning to store the heater in a safe place.

2.   Find the Draft and Plug It

Most drafts can be fixed in an hour or so, because they are the result of cracks in the seals in doors or windows. Your local home improvement store carries all the supplies to reseal these troublesome spots and it’s typically something that can be done with nothing more than a screwdriver. Have a draft coming in from a closet or wall? You may need to replace the insulation, and that is a project best left for warmer weather and professionals. In the meantime you can warm things up a bit with a decorative wall hanging- with the added bonus of a new look for the room!

3.  Insulate Your Windows

Windows are the biggest heat loss in any home- whether it’s a skylight, a bedroom window, or a sliding door, it needs a covering that insulates. Try cellular shades- they are available in a wide selection of colors, styles, and fabrics to match any décor. In addition, they can be made to fit any window- skylight, arch, sliding door, angled top: no matter the challenge, there is a cellular shade to meet that challenge. If you don’t see what you’re looking for BlindSaver.com, call our Customer Service Team at 1-877-388-0336 and we will find the solution and build a custom quote just for you!

Have blinds or shades in place that you love, but leave you cold? Hang insulating curtains over them to keep you warm at night, and tie the curtains back during the day to enjoy the view (or your current blinds). Look for curtains labeled “Energy Smart” at Target or your favorite retailer. An added perk to this choice? You can change out the panels to suit the season or a shift in décor as needed, at very little cost.

With just a little of your time, you can trade your blanket for real comfort and enjoy the time inside with your family instead of shivering through it.

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Picture of the Week: Top-Down / Bottom-UP

This versatile feature allows light in from the top while still offering privacy at eye-level on cellular, pleated, roman, and natural shades. An important consideration is whether you want this feature controlled with cords or without cords. Corded control is ideal when the top of the window is out of easy reach. This is most common above a sink or on a very tall window. Cordless top-down / bottom-up is perfect for children’s rooms and for any window where the top of the window will be within easy reach. Add this convenient feature for a great price today!

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Picture of the Week

Big windows, a beautiful view… and a really cold room. No one wants to ruin their view, but wearing your winter coat indoors is no fun either.  What we love about Levolor’s Sheer Efficiency Cellulars is their patented Energy Shield, which allows you to keep your beautiful view without sacrificing your heating bill. These sheers combine the view and solar protection of solar screens with the insulating power of cellulars, making this the picture of the week.

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How to Choose the Perfect Color

You’ve read up on color psychology.  You’ve put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and a slipcover on the sofa. You’ve thought over whether you’re a neutrals or color kind of person. You have decided which KIND of treatment you want. And then you get online to buy your shades and you freeze. There are just so MANY colors to choose from! And going neutral doesn’t solve the problem- there’s more shades of white than you ever thought possible!

Take a deep breath. You don’t have to use “eenie-meenie-minie-moe” to pick your color (in fact, I strongly recommend against this method and similar ones such as “well, it says it’s white, so…”). The first step is to order samples. This is always worth the delay, because computer screens do not represent fabric qualities or colors accurately. Since you are typically limited on how many free samples you can get at once, and manufacturers update their available colors annually to keep up with decorating trends, it’s a good idea to order your samples one room at a time. For instance, if you’re planning on doing the windows in the nursery first and then the windows in your master bedroom, wait on the samples for the master bedroom until you’re almost ready to order those shades. This will also insure that you will have more samples to choose from for every room.

When ordering your samples, don’t just stick with neutrals- pick a couple of colors that show up in more permanent room décor features (a favorite lamp or throw, for instance). Also try ordering one color in both a room darkening and light filtering fabric. This is key because different fabrics will take dyes differently, so a Terra Cotta color may be lighter, darker or more red based on the fabric. Having too many choices at hand can be a little overwhelming and turn a fun exercise in decorating into a battle against self-doubt.

When your samples arrive, take them to the room you’re going to put the final product in. Use masking tape to attach them to the wall (with cellulars, you’ll need to attach them so you can see how the cells spread out and how that spread affects the color) next to the window, and take a step back. Do any colors look dirty next to the wall paint? Is the match so exact that the color isn’t interesting or appealing? Come back at several different times of day to see how different light affects the sample, and then discard any samples that don’t work with your paint. Next, tape the remaining samples to the window and repeat the process above. Finally, hold the color against any major features in the room- furniture, upholstery, and carpet.

In the end, you may have two or three choices you really like. Call in a second opinion if you can’t decide. This second opinion should be someone else who uses the room a lot. Talk about the purpose of the room- if it’s a teenager’s room, for instance, it should be a color they like but not something you will want to tear down as soon as they move out. If you change your décor frequently, choose a brown or neutral color so that you don’t need to order new shades as frequently.

The most important thing is to choose a color you will love to look at every day. With a little patience and a sense of fun, choosing the perfect color can be the best part of shopping for window treatments.

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3 Ways to Go Green for the Holidays

The holidays are a wonderful time – there’s the time off from work, visits from family, and the fun of carrying on traditions from generation to generation. However, the not-so-fun side of the holidays is the electric and gas bill, pine needles in the carpet, and climbing all over that slippery roof to hang your lights. In a season of excess, going green won’t just make you feel better about the polar bears: over the course of time, it will make your wallet feel better, too. So here’s a list of three things you can do to make your holidays cozier, not costlier.

1. Replace those old tangled string lights.

Everyone has them somewhere- on the tree, wrapped around the roof, draped decoratively around the flower bed. But they’re such a hassle! Lights burn out pretty quickly, and when you replace one string it never quite matches the others. Maybe you can’t afford to replace EVERY Christmas light in your collection, so start with one set- the tree, the windows, the house- and replace a set every year with LED lights.  LEDs can last up to 22 years, so this is a very short term expense.  Look for EnergyStar rated products to ensure real quality instead of flashy promises. You’ll watch your annual Christmas energy bill fall with the snow.

2. Artificial vs. authentic: the tree question.

This is one of those questions with multiple right answers. Artificial trees look real, don’t shed pine needles, store easily, and are willing to forgive many years of abuse. They aren’t harvested from forests and can be recycled. However, it’s not so much about how many uses you can get from your tree… as it is about what the tree is made of, and what it does to the environment when it is created and when you dispose of it. Recycling isn’t a pollution free endeavor, and artificial trees can be expensive. Your greener bet for the planet is actually going to be the real deal. Make sure the trees are harvested from farms, not forests, and take them to the landfill to be mulched- Mother Nature’s pollution free recycling program- instead of leaving it on the curb.

 3. Find the heat leak and stop it up.

With guests wandering in and out and cranking up your thermometer, heating bills skyrocket at this time of year. There’s hope, though. Check the door sweeps and seals for cracking and other signs of age.  Replacing them is a quick and cost effective way to take a bite out of drafts.  The biggest heat leaks in your house come through the windows. Cellular shades are a great antidote to this problem. Cellular shades create a pocket of air between their layers that insulate your rooms. In addition, they create a valuable layer of privacy- even in most light filtering fabrics- that your guests will appreciate. And don’t worry about cramping your style. With a wide variety of fabrics, textures, colors, and features, these heat savers are sure to make you merry.

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