Cellular Shades for Utah Winters: How They Help Keep the Heat In
By Braxton Hatch, TruShade 5 min read
When the cold settles over Utah County, the Salt Lake valley and Park City, windows are often the chilliest spot in the house. You feel it when you sit next to a big window at night, and your furnace feels it too.
Cellular shades, also called honeycomb shades, are made for exactly this. Here’s how they work, how to pick the right one, and a few simple habits that help your rooms stay warmer all winter.
How cellular shades keep a room warmer
Look at a cellular shade from the side and you’ll see rows of small pockets shaped like a honeycomb. Those pockets trap a layer of air between the glass and your room. Trapped air is a good insulator, so less of your home’s heat escapes through the window and less cold air drifts off the glass into the room.
The same layer works in reverse in summer, slowing the heat that comes in from strong afternoon sun. That’s why cellular shades are a popular pick in a place with cold winters and hot, bright summers.
Single cell vs. double cell
- Single cell. One row of pockets. It insulates well, has a slim look, and works in most rooms and window sizes.
- Double cell. Two rows of pockets stacked together, so there’s more trapped air. It’s a good choice for the coldest rooms, big windows, and bedrooms that feel drafty.
- Light-filtering or blackout. Both cell types come in light-filtering fabrics that let in a soft glow, or blackout fabrics for bedrooms and nurseries. Blackout fabrics add another layer at the window.
Getting the most warmth from your shades
- Let the sun in during the day. On sunny winter days, open shades on south- and west-facing windows so the sun can warm the room for free.
- Close them when the sun goes down. Lowering shades at dusk keeps that warmth inside overnight. Motorized shades can do this on a schedule, so it happens even when you forget or aren’t home.
- Mind the gaps. Heat slips around the edges of a shade. A precise custom fit keeps gaps small, and side channels can close them further on rooms that need it.
- Try top-down/bottom-up. This option lets you lower the top of the shade for daylight and privacy while the rest of the window stays covered, which is handy in rooms that face the street.
Which rooms to start with
You don’t have to do the whole house at once. Most people start with the rooms they use most in winter: living rooms with big windows, bedrooms that feel cold at night, and basement rooms where windows sit near the ground.
During a free in-home consultation, our team brings cellular samples in single and double cell, light-filtering and blackout, so you can hold them up to your own windows and feel the difference before you decide.
Already have a quote?
Send it to us before you sign. With our Price Beat Guarantee, we’ll beat a comparable written quote by $500 on 5+ windows or by $1,000 on 10+ windows. We’ll measure for free, confirm the product match, and give you our price in writing.
Common questions
Do cellular shades help in winter?
Yes. The honeycomb pockets trap air between the glass and the room, which slows heat loss through the window and helps rooms near windows feel less cold.
Is double cell worth it over single cell?
Double cell has two layers of pockets, so it insulates more. It’s a good pick for the coldest rooms and large windows; single cell works well in most other rooms.
Can cellular shades be blackout?
Yes. Cellular shades come in blackout fabrics, and side channels can block light around the edges for rooms that need to be very dark.
Can cellular shades be motorized?
Yes. Motorized cellular shades can open and close on a schedule, such as lowering at sunset to hold in heat overnight.
