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.

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.Â

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!

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!

Curtains and Blinds can work together if you fix the blind to the inside of the recess, then fix the curtain rail to the wall face above the window, which is pretty easy to accomplish with made to measure blinds. Admittedly this is a more expensive option that just blinds or curtains, but it offers a unique appearance which you will not see very often.

Currently in my living room I have a leather roman blind and curtains covering my largest window. An extra benefit of this which I didn’t anticipate is that when the curtains are open and the blinds are folded at the top of the window, the folded leather blocks out the direct view of the sun which is a great bonus as nobody enjoys being dazzled.

If blinds on their own don’t offer you enough control of the light, then curtains can offer you that extra option. For example you could use a dim-out or light diffusing fabric on your blind for when you want to allow light into the room, and use a blackout curtain over the top of that for when you want to completely block out the light.

To help further understand the benefits of using both products in conjunction with each other I am going to highlight the individual benefits so you can understand all the features you receive when you use both products together.

Curtains are a much simpler product than blinds, they only consist of the actual curtain, the pole which is it hung on and a few wall brackets to fix the pole to the wall. This makes curtains a much more reliable and maintenance free product than blinds. Although more complex curtain products are available such as motorised curtains.

Blinds are a lot more popular than curtains in commercial buildings such as offices as they offer a professional look rather than the warm cosy look that curtains offer. Some types such as venetian blinds and vertical blinds offer superior light control over curtains as you can tilt or turn the slats to whatever position suits you, this allows you to control how the light is reflected.

Now you have heard the independent benefits of each products I’m sure you can imagine just how powerful solution they can be when used together.

Initially this offer sounds great, three blinds for the small price of £99, if you were dealing with other companies, even online businesses you wouldn’t be surprised to see the cost of just one blind at over £99.

So how can they do this, how can these companies offer these tremedously low prices plus a free measure and install service for less than £100? It’s all down to the quality, size and choices, or the lack of.

In my opinion the standard leaflet you receive is quite misleading, the one I have in my hand says nothing about maximum sizes or set colours, but I know from experiencing this deal hundreds of times that usually the colour choices are limited to white or cream and the maximum size is around 150cm x 150cm.

Vertical blinds are the standard for cheap blinds, although some companies go as far as offering cheap vertical blinds and cheap venetian blinds. The restrictions are even tighter on those types though.

What if you do want other colours, or maybe your window is bigger than those set sizes? Well guess what, that’s an additional cost, no longer are you getting 3 blinds for £99.

Cheap blinds are usually extremely low quality too, you should expect a mass produced product which is then cut down to size by your retailer, the fabrics used are also of low quality. I can guarantee you will not be given an option of louvre width, 87mm or 3.5″ is the standard for cheap blinds.

In terms of fabric propertise you should count yourself lucky if the fabric simply blocks the light out, don’t go expecting to get a blackout or light reflective fabric without incurring the premium charges.

In my mind these offers are very similar to the sneaky bait and switch tactics used by scam artists, they offer extremely good prices up front, then when they come out for the initial visit the prices really start to mount up with all these ‘additional costs’ and ‘extras’.

I am in no way saying you shouldn’t try to find the cheapest blinds possible, especially in this economic climate, however I am insisting that you make your requirements extremely clear to the supplier and also request samples of the product so you can get a true look at what you are buying.

Blackout blinds are exactly the same as regular blinds except the fabrics used are much better at blocking out light, similar to the effect of thick curtains. Ironically regular blackout blinds suffer the same fate as curtains, they let the light in round the sides and bottom. Although the more heavy duty blackout blinds are available in 100% complete light blackout.

A common misconception is that blackout blinds are made by using dark fabrics, maybe that was true ten years ago, but nowadays fabric manufactures have the ability to create fabrics in any colour or pattern with the blackout effect.

Roller blinds with a blackout fabric are the most common type of blackout blinds, although there are quite a few others available too. Blackout blinds can be split into two categories, blinds with blackout fabrics and complete blackout blind systems.

Blinds with Blackout Fabrics

Although with a roller blind and a good blackout fabric you can get a good percentage of light exclusion, you will never be able to get 100% as there is nothing restricting the light coming around the sides and bottom of the blind.

• Roller Blinds

As I said before, blackout roller blinds are the most popular type, they are relatively cheap, there is a good range of fabrics, and they do the job. Unless you are in an area which requires 100% blackout then roller blinds should satisfy your needs.

• Roman Blinds

Blackout roman blinds are becoming an increasingly popular option in terms of blackout blinds. Roman blinds are well known for their contemporary look which compliments most décor. Most suppliers now offer blackout lining and stitching on all there roman blinds which is a great addition to an already fantastic product.

• Vertical Blinds

I’ve left these to last for a reason, they’re crap. If you are seriously looking for a blackout blind just ignore verticals completely. Yes, you can get blackout fabrics for use in vertical blinds, or blackout louvres to be more technically correct. But vertical blinds were not made to block out light, louvres blow around with even the slightest breeze rendering them completely useless in most applications.

Complete Blackout Blind Systems

Unlike blinds with blackout fabrics, complete blackout blind systems are designed specifically with light exclusion in mind. These are usually a much more heavy duty product, made specifically for areas such as theatres or home cinemas where 100% blackout is required.

• Cassette Blinds

Cassette blinds are similar to blackout blinds except a lot more heavy duty, they are often used large contract projects, although light weight versions are also available for domestic use. Cassette blinds feature side channels made out of aluminium which allow up to 100% light exclusion depending on the model.

Roundup

If you are looking for a functional blind that blocks out enough light for you to lay in bed all day then a roller or roman with a blackout fabric will do fine, however if you are looking to start your own secret laboratory at home you may need to go the extra distance and purchase cassette blinds.