Was at a friends house and they had honeycomb blinds on many windows. I thought they looked pretty neat and my friend said they did some insulating too. Is that right? Other than maybe cutting down drafts in a poorly sealed window, can they really provide any more insulation than any other blinds that sits against the molding?
As far as hard blinds go, yes they insulate much better than others because they're made in layers. Custom fabric Romans will also insulate well because they can be interlined.
If you really want to insulate well, also add lined (and preferably interlined) draperies over the blinds to block out any air that might come in at the sides.
The key is layers.
Just to add to what Shadeladie said, one of the concerns with shades and drapes is that cold air can still fall out below, drawing in warm moist air at the top. With the glass isolated from the heat, the colder surface exposed to that warm moist air can now cause condensation. Each house will be different so no way to predict if yours will have a problem. My vote would be to give a couple a try, as they do provide a layer of insulation.
Bud
The benefit of any blinds or drapes is that they dramatically can reduce the heat loss to the exterior in cold weather. It is totally different from the simplistic and misleading R-value concept used by marketers. A window is still just a hole in the wall with minimal insulation when it comes to radiant heat loss.
Coverings reduce the radiant heat loss that is minimally affected by and gas or glass. A term for the heat loss at night is the black body principal.
Dick
Here is some information on the insulating value of honeycomb shades: Cellular Insulating Shades Energy Efficiency - R-Value
Thanks for the replies. We currently have verticals, plastic with a fabric insert, over the patio slider. They are the wrong color since we repainted. My better half would like something else. Maybe we will give the honeycombs a try.
Keep in mind that honeycomb shades that raise and lower are not very practical on sliding doors. The same thing is made that slides side to side. Hunter Douglas calls theirs Vertiglide.
Also note the ComfortTrack system on the link johnam posted. They won't work on a sliding door, but on windows they help a great deal and qualify for the current tax incentive. I just installed 2 in my office and am very pleased with the difference they've made. They've almost totally eliminated the cold air fall-out mentioned by Bud9051.
Good luck,
Doug M.
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