Consumer Tips
Choosing the Right Window Treatment for Your Home
Contractors can provide you with many interior and exterior window treatments that can help block sunlight from entering your home in the hot summer months. The Arizona Energy Management Council has licensed, bonded, and insured contractors to help you decide which type of window treatment is best for your home.
Although several window treatment products can protect your home from the grueling Arizona heat, installing shade screens is an effective way to block the sun’s rays and can save you valuable money in energy costs:
- Shade screens can block up to 50% of the heat from the sun through your south, east, and west facing windows.
- Shade screens are seven times more effective in protecting your home from heat gain than interior window treatments because it blocks that sun’s rays before it reaches the windows.
- Your local utility may provide you with rebates for installing energy efficient shade screens.
- Other window treatments such as blinds, canopies, awnings, window film, and shade trees can also help reduce heat gain in your home in the summer.
- Are you licensed, bonded, and insured? (Keep in mind that your contractor’s license should be a residential general contracting, remodeling, or window treatment license.)
- Have you been in business in Arizona for more than one year?
- Do you have unresolved complaints with the Registrar of Contractors and is your license in good standing?
- Are there any unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau?
- Can you provide positive customer recommendations and referrals?
- Company participates in dispute resolution through third party arbitration
- Have signed a customer satisfaction Pledge of Performance
- Provide maintenance agreements
- Provide and explain written warranties
- Business address is published and service trucks are clearly identified