Energy Envy How Cellular Shades Make Eco-Awareness Accessible Audra Price For those of you who believe that greener is better--better for the environment, better for the budget-- you might be right. Air conditioning and space heating make up 45'% of energy consumption in today's homes, but research conducted by the US Department of Energy suggests that energy-efficient window treatments, such as cellular shades, can reduce energy waste up to 20'%. And that saved energy can translate into saved dollars. The average family, according to the DOE, already spends $1,600 a year on utility bills, but installing energy-efficient window treatments can save up to $325 a year in energy costs alone. With these sobering statistics in mind, the growth of the cellular-shades market should make perfect sense. A 2006 Readex Research?conducted survey revealed that 24'% of survey respondents claim that their profits from cellular-shades sales had increased or stayed the same. Lynn Ranger, marketing manager at Kathy Ireland Home by Alta, reports that sales of cellular shades make up more than 20'% of the company's total sales in a year. And most industry experts agree that cellular-shade sales aren't likely to slow any time soon. "With energy costs soaring and with the increasing focus on the environment and global warming, we believe that they will become even more popular in the future," says Ranger. [Above] Comfortex Acoustics?? shades in Valse feature the Duofold Hardware System. [Next page] The 3/4" single-cell translucent shades from Turnils' Honeycomb Collection is shown here in Camelhair with the top-down/bottom-up option. 70 June 2007 www.window-fashions.com