How Shutters Can Save Energy (And Money) exterior shutters When they were first created, window shutters were used primarily to block cold winds and warm shutterssunlight, but as modern heating and cooling systems became prevalent, they turned into coverings that are used mainly for decoration. Take a drive through any neighborhood and you'll likely find more than a few homes with “traditional” window shutters framing their windows. Usually, they are fixed to the exterior of the house and incapable of opening or closing; they're used only for aesthetic purposes. However, window shutters are still able to offer much more to your home than just a great appearance. The shutters that the Berkeley window treatment experts at Innovative Window Ware offer can also help you conserve energy at your home and save you money every month on your heating and cooling costs. Energy efficient window shutters are rapidly becoming more popular among both builders and homeowners. They'll help you keep your home's utility costs low throughout the year, and they're also an excellent aesthetic addition. Energy Efficient Interior Shutters Window shutters are commonly thought of as exterior features, but indoor varieties are an excellent window treatment. They can be a great addition to your Berkeley home's interior design, and they can also help you boost your home's energy efficiency. Interior shutters are mounted inside your home around your window frames, where you'll be able to control whether they're open or closed. They can provide you with privacy, insulation, and light control and you decide. They're especially helpful for energy efficiency during the summer months: Closing the shutters on the eastern or western windows of your during the morning and evening, respectively, can limit the amount of cool air that will escape your home. Closing them will also keep UV rays from seeping into your home. Your air conditioner won't need to work as hard to maintain cooler temperatures in your home, which means that your cooling costs will be lower while your home remains cool and comfortable. These window treatments will also make your home's interior design more attractive, and their classic appearance can work well with any design style. Exterior Shutters & Energy Efficiency When properly designed, fitted, and installed, they can be the most effective window insulation systems there are. They can offer a number of great advantages to your Berkeley home, including: Weather Protection Additional Security Reduced Thermal Shock Exterior shutters can decrease both heat loss and heat gain in your home, so they're a great way to reduce your energy consumption during the winter and summer months. They are made of wood panels, a vapor barrier, and a decorative covering, so they'll look great and provide your home with excellent insulation. When they're fitted to your window frames, they can provide excellent insulation to your windows. Innovative Window Ware provides excellent window treatment options to homeowners in the Berkely, CA area. One of the most innovative products we offer that our clients love is our line of Polycore Shutters. Since we are the shutter and blinds experts, we recommend that you look into this quality window treatment and why so many love this high-performance shutter. Check out these top 5 reasons to choose Polycore Shutters for your home. 3 Ways Plantation Shutters Can Benefit Your Home Plantation shutters If you are one of the many homeowners out there who is considering investing in new window treatments for your home, you certainly have a lot of different options that you are going to have to take into consideration. When it comes to popular window treatments, plantation shutters are often an extremely popular choice among homeowners all over the country, and for good reason. Here at Innovative Window Ware, our Berkeley window treatment professionals want to make sure that have all of the information you need to find the right new window treatments for your home, and to help in that regard, we have taken the time to put together this short list detailing just a few of the ways that plantation shutters can benefit your home to help you determine if they are the right fit for your needs. Durable Design One of the biggest advantages of plantation shutters is their durable and striking design. Unlike blinds and shades, plantation shutters are built from more heavy-duty materials, making them fairly thick and sturdy, which can be helpful if you live in a house with pets or small children. This durable nature also means that plantation shutters are built to last. With the proper care, your new plantation shutters could easily be an investment that lasts you the life of your home, helping you save a great deal of money in the long run on new window treatments. Classic Elegance If you are one of the many homeowners out there who prefers to have a classic, elegant design for the interior of your home, there is perhaps no window treatment option out there that can compliment that design better than plantation shutters. Plantation shutters have a timeless elegance about them, adding a level of visual appeal that you will be able to appreciate both inside and outside your home. Additionally, because plantation shutters have a somewhat timeless design, they are almost always in style and can be suited to just about any interior design scheme that you can imagine. This can be a big help if you ever decide to update your home's interior in the coming years as you won't have to change out your existing window treatments if you don't want to. Energy Efficiency Because of their heavy-duty construction, plantation shutters can also be a big help in making your home more energy efficient and comfortable overall. With their thicker slats and materials, plantation shutters can effectively act as an additional layer of insulation around your windows, helping to block out the heat during the summer and keep the warm air inside during the winter months. Not only can this help to keep your home more comfortable at all points throughout the year, but it can also go a long way in helping you to save on your monthly cooling and heating bills.