Automation Systems for Energy Efficiency
An important step in improving the energy efficiency of your home is to install window shades with high energy efficiency ratings, like our Duette Architella honeycomb shades. Yet even with the best shades on the market, optimal energy efficiency requires the shades to be opened and closed at the right times. That’s where the Hunter Douglas Platinum™ solar energy sensors come in. As part of a window shade automation system, the solar sensor allows you to harness the warmth of the sun when you need it, and block it when you don’t. Home owners and business owners throughout San Francisco enjoy cost savings when using solar sensor technology.
How the Solar Sensor Works
During the hottest part of the day, the battery-powered sensor detects the amount of solar energy entering the home through the window and sends out a wireless signal that automatically opens or closes the window shades to maximize energy efficiency in the room. One sensor unit can control a single shade or multiple shades in a room. For optimal energy savings, multiple sensors can be installed in windows facing different directions of the home to operate specific groups of shades at proper times.
The sensor features two unique energy saving modes:
Summer Mode
- Lowers/closes shades during the hottest hours of the day.
- Reduces the amount of solar heat (ultraviolet rays) entering the home by lowering the shade(s), keeping the room cooler in the hot summer months.
- Activates shade operation when solar energy at the window reaches the set thermal threshold level.
- Retains the cool air in a room by lowering the shade(s), saving on cooling costs in the summer.
Winter Mode
- Raises/opens shades during the warmest times of the day.
- Closes shades automatically when the temperature drops outside, keeping the warm air inside.
- Allows for solar heat from the sun to enter a room through the window and warm the room in the cold winter months, saving on heating costs.
- Activates shade operation when solar energy at the window reaches the set thermal threshold level.
Energy Efficient Window Treatments in San Francisco
Our home automation experts can improve the energy efficiency of your home with solar sensor and automation technology. Blinds & Designs has been serving the San Francisco Bay and Marin County areas for more than 15 years, with an ongoing commitment to high quality products, expert installation and state-of-the-art automation technology. Stop by our showrooms in San Francisco or Tiburon to see a variety of motorization displays in our showroom or call 415-921-4212 Ext 101 for more information.
