Shutter BoysUpdated
The short version: if your main goal is a lower heating bill, cellular shades have the evidence and shutters don’t. If you want light you can steer, no cords, and a covering that looks like part of the house for decades, shutters are the better buy. Many homes do best with both.
What cellular shades do well
A cellular (honeycomb) shade is a pleated fabric with air pockets in its cross-section. The Department of Energy describes them as trapping air “within each cell, as well as between the shade and the window”, which is why “they also reduce nighttime heat loss through windows”[1].
The evidence is real. In a DOE test home in Knoxville, Tennessee, run from December 2019 to May 2020, “cellular shades saved up to 20% on heating energy and up to 15% on total energy from heating and cooling”, compared with no shades at all[1]. The same fact sheet reports that Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory simulations show cellular shades “achieve higher energy savings than all other types of shading devices”[1].
Two caveats from the underlying study. LBNL’s 2013 report modelled several qualities of shade. The best (cell-in-cell) did well in Minneapolis, Washington and Phoenix, but in Phoenix the other qualities were “only marginally effective”[2]. And the savings assume people use them: the report found that “when operable shades are used by occupants in a ‘typical manner,’ some shades provide energy savings in specific climates, but not all operable shades save energy in all climates”[2].
Read the baseline before the percentage
Energy figures for window coverings are only as useful as the thing they’re compared with. The Knoxville result above is against bare windows[1]. A Department of Energy announcement in 2023 cites earlier Oak Ridge research that cellular shades “can reduce heating energy needs by almost 25%”[4], also against nothing. Most homes already have something on the windows. Slides from a 2019 DOE peer-exchange call report field results of about 10% less heating and 13% less cooling for insulated cellular shades compared with vinyl venetian blinds[5]: still real, and a fairer picture of what changing one covering for another does.
So when anyone, including a shade seller or a shutter seller, quotes you a percentage, ask two questions: compared with what, and in what climate? A figure without both is a marketing number.
The same 2019 slides add a qualitative point that matters as much as any percentage: “In field studies, insulated cellular shades outperformed traditional vinyl blinds under all operating scenarios and settings”[5]. In other words, the result held whether the shades were left down, raised during the day or used in between, which is unusual for a window covering, whose savings normally depend on someone remembering to use it.
How to read an AERC rating
The Attachments Energy Rating Council certifies attachments such as blinds, cellular shades and roller shades[3], and its ratings are split by climate. When Minnesota became the first state to count AERC-certified cellular shades in its efficiency planning, it required a “Warm Climate Rating of at least 36 and Cool Climate Rating of at least 9” for its retrofit packages[4]. Those two numbers give you a way to compare shades with each other on the same scale; ask the seller which rating applies to your climate. They don’t let you compare a shade with a shutter, because no shutter is rated.
Why shutters have no energy number
It isn’t that shutters were tested and lost. They weren’t tested. The LBNL study left out several categories “due to the current lack of reliable simulation models”, and louvered shutters are on that list, along with drapes and roller shutters[2]. The Attachments Energy Rating Council, which puts energy labels on window coverings, lists the products it covers as “blinds, cellular shades, roller shades, storm windows, solar screens and pleated shades”, with no shutters among them[3]. So treat any quoted energy saving for plantation shutters, including from us, with care.
Side by side
| Feature | Wood plantation shutters | Cellular shades |
|---|---|---|
| Published heating savings | None rated | Up to 20% in a DOE test |
| Light control | Tilt louvers to aim light up or down | Raise or lower; some open top-down |
| View when open | Swing the panels clear of the glass | Fabric stacks at the top |
| Cords | None | Corded, cordless or motorized, by model |
| Material | Painted or stained wood | Pleated fabric |
| Refresh later | Repaint the wood | Replace the shade |
| Cost per window | Higher | Lower |
The rows on light, cords, material and cost are general product differences, not test results. Check any specific shade’s specifications.
Where shutters win
This section is our reasoning, not a measured result.
- Light you can aim. A shade trades light for privacy in one movement. Tilted louvers can throw daylight at the ceiling while blocking the view in and the glare off a screen.
- No cords at all. There is nothing to pull and nothing to tangle. Cordless cellular shades exist and are the ones to buy if you go that way. Cord safety rules for window coverings
- Part of the room, not an accessory. A shutter is fitted to the opening and painted or stained like trim. Fabric fades and crushes over the years; wood can be sanded and repainted.
- Clear glass when you want it. Swing the panels open and the whole window is clear, with no stack of fabric across the top of the view.
Using both
On a cold, north-facing bedroom window, a cellular shade close to the glass and a shutter in front of it is a reasonable setup: the shade for the night-time heat loss the DOE describes, the shutter for daytime light and privacy. It needs depth. The shade’s headrail has to fit inside the opening, and the louvers have to tilt without touching it. In shallow openings, an outside-mounted shutter on the trim leaves the inside of the opening free for the shade. How to measure inside and outside mounts
What a shutter and a shade cost on one window
If you go with both, the shutter’s mount decides whether the shade fits. Inside the opening, the shade and the shutter frame compete for the same depth. Mounted outside on the trim, with a mounting frame, the shutter leaves the opening clear for the shade. On a 36 × 48 in window in our basic build (flat moulding, paint stage 1, 3½ in louvers), before tax and shipping:
| Feature | US | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Inside mount, no frame | $320 – $400 | $460 – $570 CAD |
| Outside mount, with a mounting frame | $370 – $470 | $540 – $670 CAD |
If the opening is too shallow for both, the outside-mount row is usually how you get both: the frame adds to the shutter’s price, but it frees the whole depth of the opening for the shade. The shade is priced by whoever sells it. Check its headrail depth against the depth of your opening before buying either, and leave the louvers room to tilt fully open. Inside vs outside mount
What to ask a shade seller
- Is this model AERC-certified, and what are its warm- and cool-climate ratings?
- Is it single-cell or cell-in-cell, and is it light-filtering or room-darkening?
- Is it cordless or motorized, with no cord loops anywhere?
- How deep is the headrail, and does it fit inside my opening with room left for a shutter?
- What does the warranty say about the fabric fading or the cells crushing?
If you’re adding a shutter in front, take the opening depth with you. It’s the measurement that decides whether the two can share the window, and it takes a minute with a tape. How to measure
Room by room
| Feature | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cold north-facing bedroom | Both, if the depth allows | Shade for night-time heat loss, shutter for daytime privacy and light |
| Living room facing the street | Shutters | Privacy with daylight, with the louvers tilted |
| Home office | Shutters | Louvers aim light away from the screen; a shade only raises or lowers |
| Skylight or clerestory | Cellular shade | Out of reach of a hand-tilted louver |
| Rental or short stay | Cellular shade, cordless | Lower cost per window; replace rather than repaint |
| Nursery | Shutters, or a cordless shade | No cords either way; shutters add finer light control |
The first column is our recommendation, not a test result.
How to choose
- Heating bill first: cellular shades, ideally a cell-in-cell model with an AERC label[3]. Before either, check the glass and the seals; no covering makes up for a failing window.
- Bedrooms you want dark: a room-darkening shade blocks more light. A shutter darkens a lot but leaks at the edges. How dark bedroom shutters get
- Living rooms, kitchens, street-facing windows: shutters, for the light control, the privacy with the louvers tilted, and the look. What shutters cost per window
For the wider picture on window coverings and energy, read do interior shutters save energy?
Common questions
Are cellular shades more energy efficient than shutters?
On the published evidence, yes. A Department of Energy test found cellular shades saved up to 20% on heating energy compared with no shades, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory simulations ranked them above other shading devices. Louvered shutters haven’t been rated, so there is no figure to compare against.
Can you put cellular shades behind plantation shutters?
Often, yes, if the window is deep enough for both. The shade sits close to the glass for insulation and the shutter sits in front for light control and looks. Check the depth before you order: louvers need room to tilt without hitting the shade.
What do the AERC ratings on a cellular shade mean?
The Attachments Energy Rating Council certifies window attachments for energy performance, with separate ratings for warm and cool climates. Minnesota, the first state to count AERC-certified cellular shades in its efficiency planning, set minimums of a Warm Climate Rating of 36 and a Cool Climate Rating of 9 for its retrofit packages. No shutter carries an AERC rating.
How much do cellular shades save compared with ordinary blinds?
Less than headlines suggest, because most figures compare against no covering at all. Slides from a 2019 Department of Energy peer-exchange call report field results of about 10% less heating and 13% less cooling for insulated cellular shades compared with vinyl venetian blinds. Against bare windows, the DOE’s own test home saw up to 20% on heating.
Do cellular shades block light better than shutters?
A room-darkening cellular shade, lowered, blocks more light than closed louvers, because louvers leave thin gaps between slats and around the panels. Shutters give finer control in between: you can tilt the light up to the ceiling instead of choosing between open and closed.
Sources
- Interior cellular shades boost home energy performance (October 2021), US Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office (government)
- Energy savings from window attachments (October 2013), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, for the US Department of Energy (government)
- Attachments Energy Rating Council, AERC
- Minnesota becomes first state to include cellular window shades in list of effective techniques for saving energy (April 20, 2023), US Department of Energy (government)
- Window treatments: the undervalued, highly efficient energy efficiency measure (peer exchange call slides, November 14, 2019), US Department of Energy, Better Buildings Residential Network (government)