Blinds — No comments
28
Jan 10

Energy Saving Blinds

Recently energy saving has become more and more important in all areas of life: home, commuting and work. But why is saving energy so important? Two reasons:

1) Money Saving..

The cost of electricity is constantly rising because we do not have the resources to create enough energy from sustainable sources such as solar, wind and hydro power. This means we have to rely on non-sustainable sources such as oil. Oil is a limited source and won’t last forever. As the oil runs out and becomes scarce the price will only increase further.

2) The Enviroment..

The earth is in a bad shape, scientists have proved we’re destroying the ozone layer. One way we can minimise damage to the ozone layer is by wasting less energy, because the more energy we use the more has to be created through non-sustainable methods.

Energy Saving Blinds

Okay we need to save energy, but what does this have to do with blinds you’re probably asking. Well blinds can actually help you save a lot of energy. When you fit a blind to a window you are essentially creating a barrier that will stop heat escaping through your windows. Double glazing also does this so combing the two can have astounding results.

However not all blinds are equal when it comes to creating a barrier. Which is why some companies are now offering energy saving blinds or Thermal Blinds. Energy saving blinds are made from higher quality fabrics that let a minimal amount of heat through.

By installing an energy saving blind you will be keeping more heat inside your property which means you won’t need to turn your heating system on as much, which means less energy used, lower bills and a step in the right direction to reducing your carbon footprint.

Roller Blinds are the best type of blind for energy saving blind because they cover the whole window and only have gaps round the sides. Vertical blinds are the worst at keeping heat in because they have gaps between each slat which the heat can escape through.

Remote Blinds — No comments
20
Apr 09

Remote Blinds

Have you ever been watching TV on the sofa comfortably when the sun comes along and ruins your fun by shining through your window too brightly? The simplest thing is to just get up and close the blinds, but at the time that feels so much like a chore, don’t deny it, we’ve all been there.

How much better would it be if you could just adjust the blinds from the comfort of your seat using a remote control? You don’t get up to change the TV channel so why should you do so to close the blinds? Well luckily you don’t have to anymore. Remote Control Blinds are becoming more common place in the home.

The only thing stopping most people from purchasing remote control blinds is the cost. The additional cost of a motor, sensor and remote can add quite a significant amount to the price of your blind(s). However the price does largely depend on the complexity of the product. Currently the cheapest remote blinds available are remote aluminium venetian blinds. This is because the only required operation is that the slats tilt. You don’t really need to raise and lower the blinds. If you do want to do that you can always do it manually of course.

That is the most basic example of remote blinds, however there are much more complex solutions such as remote blinds that raise and lower at certain times of day, blinds which raise depending on the ammount of light, really anything is possible, if you have the money to spend!

In terms of supplying power to the blinds motor you have two options: Mains Powered or Battery powered. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, we’ll address that in a future article. One difference worth mentioning is that anyone can install a battery powered option, in contrast to an mains powered option which requires a qualified electrician.

For remote blinds you obviously need a remote control, there is a good variety of these available on the market. Infra-red is the cheapest option, Radio Frequency is a superior but more expensive option. Most remotes can control more than one blind, around five blinds is the standard, which is usually enough for a room or two. If you are using a radio frequency technology remote you can control groups of blinds rather than single blinds. This means you could have a room full of blinds in one group which raise and lower simultaneously. 

One limitation of remote blinds is that the motors are only so powerful, this means there will be restrictions on the size of blinds you can have (to keep the weight down). Because of this you may have to settle for a lighter material if you have a large window, for example aluminium venetians are a lighter alternative to wooden venetians.

Overall remote blinds are definitely an option to consider if you have room for them in your budget, they certainly add a wow factor to your home and impress your visitors!

Wooden Blinds — No comments
05
Mar 09

Wooden Window Blinds

If you go to any blinds store, online or off, you will soon notice their is an absolutely huge choice of blinds. Each blind type has a range, each range has lots of colors, each color has a selection of shades. The choice is almost endless. And since blinds are customized made you can pretty much specify what you want and have it made. A vertical blind with a variety of colours like a rainbow is a simple task.

Most people when faced with this infinite choice become over whelmed and just choose a white or creamy colour fabric. This is, how can I put it. Boring, or even dull. A much classier choice which will have your friends in awe are wooden window blinds.

There are a few different types of wooden window blinds to accommodate to different peoples tastes and styles. Here are the two most popular types:

Wooden Venetian Blinds

Wooden venetian blinds consist of horizontal slats of wood that can be tilted or raised and lowered to control the light. Being able to tilt the blinds offers an extra degree of light control that you don’t get with a lot of other blinds.

Slat Width – Another part of the blind which you get to make a decision on is the slat width. The three sizes most commonly offered are 25mm, 35mm and 50mm. Their are no obvious benefits to each side, it is more about personal preference than benefits.

Type of wood – Each supplier will have their own selection of woods that they favour, generally speaking the higher the price of the blind, the higher the quality of wood. Although just by looking at the product you should be able to make your own conclusions on the quality side.

Woodweave Blinds

Surprisingly woodweave blinds are made out of strands of wood woven together! This creates a very natural effect that lets light seep through the imperfections to offer a very classy finish.

Unlike venetian blinds, woodweave blinds are one solid piece like a roller blind. Except instead of rolling up they bunch up at the top of the window.

Hopefully my explanation of wooden window blinds will help you with your purchasing decision, and ideally you will be happy with your selection!

pleated blinds — No comments
25
Feb 09

Office Blinds

Staff Comfort is an ever increasing issue, new measures are constantly being put into place to make sure staff are treated fairly and have a suitable environment to work in. Staff members who work on computers can often be made uncomfortable by solar glare, and if endured for prolonged periods it can even cause headaches and sore eyes. Are you willing to put your employee’s through this kind of suffering day to day?

Stop Staff Suffering by Installing Office Blinds

One way to combat solar glare, which also has many other benefits is installing office blinds. Office blinds are most commonly pleated blinds featuring a soft fabric which diffuses the light, minimising solar glare. Other types of blinds have been known to be used as office blinds, but in terms of reducing glare, while still letting light into the room pleated blinds are superior.

Glare is not the only problem caused by the sun, the sun can also cause extreme temperatures, which are only intensified by the pane of glass between the outside world and your office. Luckily blinds can also reduce this heat too. There are two ways this can be done.

Reflection and Absorption

Some blinds feature a reflective backing, usually a thin aluminium layer. This reflective the light. Whereas a fabric without a reflective backing will just absorb the heat. Both approaches do the job, but I’m sure you can guess which is better.

Note: Another advantage of reflective backing is that it keeps the heat in during the winter apparently.

Office Blinds save you money!

By reducing the heat and glare, you are not only increasing staff comfort but you could also save money at the same time! Think of it this way, when it gets too hot, what do you do? I’m guessing you turn on the air conditioning, an electrical appliance that costs you money. By reducing the heat from the beginning with blinds you will become less reliant on your air conditioning, which saves money on the bills and helps the environment!

Blackout Blinds / Blind Suppliers / Blinds / Conservatory Blinds / Roller Blinds / VELUX Blinds / Venetian Blinds / Wooden Blinds / pleated blinds — No comments
13
Feb 09

Discount Blinds

Okay guys today we are going to take a look at discount blinds, or discounted blinds. Before we go any further must understand one thing:

Discount Blinds are not the same as ‘cheap blinds’.

‘Cheap Blinds’ by definition are blinds that are made to be cheap, which normally means mass production, cheap materials, cheap labour, ect.

Discount blinds on the other hand are still a high quality product, they are just discounted for one reason or another, for example during a sale or stock clearance.

What this means is if you are on a tight budget, which I understand a lot of people are during the ‘recession’ you can essentially get hold of the high quality blinds you are accustomed to at the same price as the low quality ‘cheap blinds’ you would usually avoid.

How you say? Simple, search for the discounts and sales!

It is important to understand that you are not the only one feeling the heat of the credit crunch, businesses are feeling it too and they are lowering prices and holding sales left, right and center!

This may sound cynical, but a lot of businesses are also going bust as well, and they have a lot of extra stock they quickly need to get rid of to recuperate at least some money. I’m willing to bet you can get a great discount on that stock!

I’m guessing you have a retail brand you know well, trust and buy from each time? It may be Hillarys, Web-Blinds, Blinds Supermarket or one I haven’t even heard of. But the key to finding the most discounted blinds is to not stick with one retailer but to compare the market, which is relatively easy with a simple Google search.

Another thing to look out for is promotions like ‘price beater’ or ‘price match’ where companies guarantee to beat the quote you’ve been given. This is always worth going for, you have nothing to lose after all!

One last thing to remember is that nearly all sites have discount codes, if you do a google search that looks something like “Web Blinds Discount Code” you may be surprised with what you find :)

Good luck finding those discounts!

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