How to Save and Earn a Federal Tax Credit With Duette Honeycomb Window Shades
Your windows may be the main culprit when faced with high energy bills. Energy Saver says about 30% of a home's heating energy is lost through windows. With energy bills as expensive as they are, losing heating or cooling to your windows can make or break your budget. Saving energy is of the utmost importance when keeping your energy bills down to a reasonable level. But what is the best way to do that?
Window shades provide some protection from the sun's rays and will do their part to keep unneeded heat and cold air out of your home. But when your energy bills are too high, regular shades won't cut it. For those looking to be environmentally friendly, keeping your energy bills down will also lower your carbon footprint. There are many options for achieving these goals, but only one will earn you money on top of saving money. To lower your carbon footprint and energy usage while earning money, using Hunter Douglas's Duette® Honeycomb window shades is the best purchase you can make.
Duette® Architella® and Duette® Honeycomb Window Shade
The Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb window shade and the Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® window shade were designed to tackle the energy loss from windows. For homes that receive a lot of sunlight, having these window shades will lower your energy bills. When this design was first introduced, Hunter Douglas quickly became the epitome of energy efficiency in window coverings. They were also the first to receive a certification for interior window coverings from the Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC). The Duette® Honeycomb window shade and the Duette® Architella® window shade are designed to look appealing and lower your energy consumption and costs, whether it's reducing heat loss in the winter or solar heat gain in the summer.
How They Work
Yes, the Duette® Honeycomb and Duette® Architella® window shades can save you money by reducing solar heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. But how do they work? Hunter Douglas specifically designed this window shade to be reflective of heat. Instead of making the shades themselves appear reflective, as many heat-reflective materials are, they instead made the internal lining reflective, so the appearance does not disrupt your home. They called this invention 'illumicell,' an internal lining against the outer fabric and reflecting heat away from your windows.
With illumicell, Hunter Douglas created a window shade with up to 80% reduced solar heat gain. Without proper window coverage, this incredible amount of heat could permeate your home through your windows during the summer. Keeping that heat outside and enjoying your air conditioning during the hottest time of the year or keeping your heat inside while enjoying some reprieve from the cold winter air is entirely manageable with illumicell's advanced technology. With Duette® Honeycomb and Duette® Architella window shades, you will enjoy lower energy bills and a more temperate home because of the incredible design of illumicell.
Material Makeup
The amazing feats of the Duette® Honeycomb and the Duette® Architella® window shades, along with the impressive technology of the internal lining illumicell, are something to celebrate when it comes to staying green. Lowering energy usage means reducing your carbon footprint, something everyone wants to do when it comes to protecting our planet. But the Duette® Honeycomb window shade and the Duette® Architella window shade are even greener than they seem.
Hunter Douglas really thought of everything when making this product. Some of the fabrics in the Duette® Honeycomb and the Duette® Architella® window shade are made with bamboo and other sustainable materials. This keeps your carbon footprint even lower, as you buy sustainable and organic products. Many companies are beginning to follow in Hunter Douglas's footsteps and are starting to make their products with sustainable and organic materials.
Hunter Douglas also paved the way by making some of their Architella window shades made from recycled materials on top of being made with bamboo. The Architella® Batiste fabrics are beautiful and earth friendly, made up of 45% sustainable bamboo fibers, and still contain recycled material. If you're looking to go green and save yourself money, it is clear that the Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb window shade and the Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® window shade are your best options toward this goal.
Colors and Designs
If these window shades are beginning to sound appealing, that's great news. However, there is always the consideration of appearance. You may like the reduction in your carbon footprint and the lowered energy bills that come with Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb window shades, but if they don't match your home, the appeal can quickly be lost. For many people, keeping their home's decor consistent and matching is important to them. Luckily, Hunter Douglas thought of this in their design of the Duette® Honeycomb window shade, and they created many different options for you to choose from.
Hunter Douglas really did think of everything. The Duette® Honeycomb window shades are offered in 17 different fabrics. This allows you to find a fabric that suits the style of your home while also providing the energy-saving abilities you need. On top of this, Hunter Douglas ensured color matching wasn't a problem. There are over 130 color options for the Duette® Honeycomb window shades. And, for those who dislike shades that block out sunlight entirely, Hunter Douglas has made sure there are levels of opacity for you. The Duette® Honeycomb window shade comes in four different opacities for you to choose from. With this amount of customization available, the Duette® Honeycomb window shade will fit inside anyone's home, lowering your energy bills and keeping your home energy friendly.
Special Features
You may be wondering what the catch is to these window shades. Luckily for you, there is none. Moreover, they have even more amazing features that come with specific models! The Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® shade and the Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb shade come with a retractable cord. For many people with window blinds and shades, having a dangling cord is an annoyance and is visually unappealing to have in your home. It can also be a safety hazard for homes with pets or small children.
With the Hunter Douglas design, your dangling cord is no longer a problem. Through their system called 'Ultra Glide', the retractable cord allows you to adjust the blinds however you wish to, and then the Duette® Architella® and the Duette® Honeycomb keep the cord tucked away for later. When you want to adjust the blinds again, simply pull the cord back out and adjust as needed. This keeps your window blinds sleek and beautiful, preventing any unwanted cords from dangling for everyone to see. With the retractable cord, your beautiful home will not be caught looking messy or disorganized.
Have you ever wished your window blinds didn't just open from one side? Now, that wish can come true! Hunter Douglas truly thought of everything when designing the 'Lite Rise® ' system. The Lite Rise® system is different from the retractable cord because the Lite Rise® system does not have a cord at all. The cordless lifting system is a popular choice for those who are unhappy with the appearance of cords and prefer to have their blinds free of cords altogether. The Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® Top Down Bottom Up shade with Lite Rise® is a great option for those with small children. The cords can be a danger to their health, but with the Lite Rise system, that fear can disappear. This system is also a great option for those who dislike the cord on their blinds getting stuck in doors or shut in windows. Avoid that issue entirely with the Lite Rise® system today.
Get a Federal Tax Credit for Your Shades
The Duette® Honeycomb window shade and the Duette® Architella® window shade are designed to save money. But how can they make you money? Well, with the new federal tax credit from the federal government now in place, you are making money back from what you spent. They are offering energy tax credits on select energy-efficient Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb Shades, letting you earn 30% of the purchase price back in the form of a tax credit, up to a maximum annual amount of $1,200. This federal tax credit was put in place to encourage the use of green energy window shades to begin the movement toward more green products inside people's homes. If you are curious about how to qualify for this federal tax credit, follow the instructions below!
How to Apply for the Federal Tax Credit in the New Jersey Area
If this federal tax credit interests you, you're in luck. The federal government provided a step-by-step process for anyone who is looking to apply to receive this tax credit for their Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® window shade or their Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb window shades. If you are looking to apply, here are the steps to do so.
You must start by purchasing the qualifying products. Hunter Douglas kindly provides a list of their products that apply on their website, so if you find something you like, you can easily check to see if that product applies for the federal tax credit or not. If it does, great! Your purchase must be made at some point in the year 2023. If your purchase is not made between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, your purchase will not qualify for the federal tax credit and you will miss your chance to earn the extra money back. If you are curious as to the products that qualify, here is a quick guide.
All PowerView®, PowerView® Top-Down/Bottom-Up, EasyRise®, and LiteRise® Duette® Architella® and Duette® Honeycomb products qualify for the federal tax credit. If you are looking to purchase one of these, you are in luck. Make sure to follow the next steps to ensure you get the federal tax credit.
Some of UltraGlide®, UltraGlide® Top-Down/Bottom-Up, LiteRise® Top-Down/Bottom-Up, and EasyRise® Top-Down/Bottom-Up products qualify for the federal tax credit. If you are curious which ones apply or do not apply, contact Hunter Douglas to ensure you are buying one that qualifies for the federal tax credit. If you purchase the wrong one, you will not qualify for the federal tax credit, so calling to make sure is essential if you are looking for money back.
- If you purchase one of the following, your product does not qualify for the federal tax credit: Duolite®, Vertiglide™, Skylift™, Simplicity™, TrackGlide™(Alustra Duette & Duette Only), LightLock® (Alustra Duette & Duette Only), EasyView® Arch (Alustra Duette & Duette Only), Two on One Headrail, End Mount, Outside Mount, and Specialty including Sidelights, Shapes, Cut-outs, Magnetic Hold Down Brackets. If you have purchased one of these products and are looking for the federal tax credit, you will not qualify. A new purchase must be made in order to qualify. Contact Hunter Douglas today to double-check which products you can buy to qualify for the federal tax credit.
- The next step in the application for the federal tax credit is to save your invoice. Make sure that the proof of your purchase is saved so that you have proof of your purchase and that the payment amount is visible. The amount paid is essential, as the federal tax credit relies on this to properly give you your money back. Remember that the measuring and installation charges are not eligible for the federal tax credit, only the purchase of the shades and blinds.
- The next step is to file your taxes. Make sure you download the Hunter Douglas Manufacturer's Certificate Statement, available on their website, and print the certificate out. When filing your 2023 tax return with a professional, make sure you bring the certificate and proof of payment for the Hunter Douglas qualifying shades with you. This will make the process easier and legal. When your tax return comes back, you will see the credit has been subtracted from your total amount of taxes owed. You can earn up to $1,200 back on your tax returns, so purchase wisely!
Ready to save money through the Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® and Duette® Honeycomb window shades? Going green has never looked so good! Window Treats Inc. supplies the best Hunter Douglas shades for your needs. If you are ready to go green and save money, contact the Window Treats Inc. team today to learn more!
Window Treats Inc in Red Bank New Jersey also has a showroom in Brooklyn New York and offers Hunter Douglas window treatments including curtains, blinds, shades, drapery, and shutters. These can all be made into motorized blinds, shades, and drapery, and integrated into a home automation system. Window Treats proudly serves the surrounding areas, including Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Elberon, Fair Haven, Freehold, Holmdel, Lakewood, Little Silver, Lincroft, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oakhurst & Ocean Township, Rumson, Shrewsbury, Spring Lake, Tinton Falls and Toms River. Our team is often called upon to serve the tri-state area as well including Brooklyn and Manhattan (New York City).