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Energize Your Sales by
 Concentrating
On Saving
Download: Window Energy Use Calculator
Energy.
It has been everywhere this week! On the nightly news...in the
papers...on the floor in both houses of Congress...from the White
House...and, most of all, on people's minds. Energy costs continue
to skyrocket as we enter the high-demand cooling season across the
country. While everyone else talks about it, we in the window
covering industry are in position to really do
something about it.
 The
Alaska Pipeline
The Department of Energy estimates that as much as 25% of cooling
and/or heating bills is wasted through inefficient windows in a
typical home. That's up to 25% of the money you pay to heat and cool
your home is actually being spent to heat or cool the great
outdoors. Ouch!
Nationally,
of course, this adds up to a mind-boggling amount of wasted
energy. According to the Department of Energy, the amount of
energy wasted through windows each year is roughly equal to the
amount of energy that flows through the Alaska Pipeline.
We are
at the beginning of a period of heightened efforts in conserving
energy. You may have seen this scene on the news this past
week: On the floor of the House of Representatives, one Congressman
stood with a chart about energy conservation. As he went through the
energy saving suggestions line by line, he stopped to reinforce one
of the items by saying in his best astonished Congressman voice,
"If people only knew how much money they are literally throwing
out the window, they'd close their blinds and shades!" He
was absolutely right. (Let's make him an honorary window covering
dealer!)
Fashion vs. Energy Efficiency? (Not
Necessarily)
 For
the past several years, the focus in window coverings has been on
fashion and style. The good news is that your clients don't
have to sacrifice fashion to have an impact on their energy
costs. Hunter Douglas and Designer Blinds have brought you a
wide array of the most elegant products: Silhouette® and Vignette®
Window Shadings; Luminette® Privacy Sheers; Duette® Honeycomb
Shades; and more. All of these products provide a sense of
sophisticated style and help to bring down energy costs. And
so do the old workhorses, Pleated Shades, Lightlines® & Decor®
Blinds. Literally the whole product line offered by Hunter
Douglas and Designer Blinds will help save energy year-round.
See the Heating and Cooling section near the front of the new
Hunter Douglas Reference & Base Price Guide for 2001 to
see how well each of the Hunter Douglas products performs and
how they stack up against each other for energy efficiency.
 Taking it a step
further, the advanced technology of Hunter Douglas motorized
products will help you to improve the process of keeping your
client's homes comfortable and efficient. Take particular note
of the Home Automation system now available for Duette PowerRise®
shades. The X-10 control options will allow you to automate control
of your shades so you can set them to operate while you're at work,
or even while you're in your bed asleep! (click here to read more about home
automation)
Increasing Awareness
At this point you can be ahead of the game. Make sure your clients
and potential clients are aware you can help them reduce their
heating and cooling costs. Don't wait for them to ask you. Use
energy conservation in your advertising and coach your
clients in using window coverings effectively to control energy
costs throughout the year. With the high amount of savings
--in real dollars --that window coverings can provide, your clients
may be able to move up to products they really want.
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Click on the image above for
a full-size screen shot of a
REFSEN simulation. |
RESFEN: Calculate The Cost Of Windows
Here is a great software tool you can download for free.
RESFEN was built in cooperation with the Department of Energy. It is
a computer program that helps to calculate the actual cost of having
windows. You can use it to show what uncovered windows will
cost in heating and cooling. Then to show what can be saved by
covering windows. Just put in the number of square feet of
windows on each side of a house, the type of windows and set it to
your city (or to the closest city geographically). Then tell it the
current rates for gas and electricity. This is easily found by
looking at your own most recent bills or by calling the local
utilities for rates. Add in a few additional details and tell it to
calculate. In seconds you will have an estimate that can be
broken down several ways. You can use RESFEN with your clients
on your laptop computer to figure energy costs and potential
savings. Or take your client's window covering measurements
back to your office to calculate and print. Think about offering a FREE WINDOW ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EVALUATION for your clients rather than (or along with) free
measuring? Start using a tool like this with your clients to
be a step ahead of your competitors. In fact, you'll be playing an
entirely different game.
FREE! DOWNLOAD REFSEN (also available by mail for FREE)
Energy Links
Here are some other informative sites
that will help you to understand energy issues related to windows:
The Department of
Energy Consumer Information page
The Energy Savers Website
Unbiased information
about energy efficient windows
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