Home products are not usually at the center of conspiracy theories. I, however, cannot help but connect the dots on what is fast becoming the picture of a widespread plan to reduce our population by proliferating hazardous window blinds and shades into households across America.
This week, not one, not two, but three US Consumer Product Safety Commission product recalls saw hundreds of thousands of blinds and shades recalled due to high risk (and a few incidents) of strangulation and choking.
First was the recall for repair of the IKEA roller blinds. Over 500,000 units have been recalled due to a strangulation risk if a certain provided tension device was not properly installed and attached to the bead chain.
Then there were the faux suede roman shades by Whole Space, which are sold exclusively by Hanover Direct/Domestications. 90,000 of these units were called back, and this due to a 2-year-old boy from Delaware whose neck was entangled in the inner cords of the shades. Thankfully he escaped with only red marks.
Finally, another set of roman shades -- these by Louis Hornick & Co and sold exclusively at Bed Bath & Beyond -- were recalled, again due to strangulation concerns. 364,000 units have been taken back, with two reports of entangled children prompting this recall.
Thankfully there has been no loss of life due to any of these flawed products. It's definitely a victory in the consumers' -- and the US CPSC's -- war against these insidious trojan horses that lurk unsuspectingly around our homes' windows.
Did you have to send a set of shades or blinds back due to the recalls?
Most window blinds are used to keep the sun -- and heat -- out of the home. These SolarChoice blinds do the exact opposite -- they increase the heat in the home. The "Heaters", as they are called, are winter window treatments that purportedly reduce heating costs up to 35%. How does it work? Each plastic vane has a hollow channel running its length. Cold air enters the channel at the bottom of the blind, warms up through passive solar heating, and exits out the top of the vane -- at temperatures as high as 140 degrees.
The website has a video to teach homeowners how to install the product, as well as measuring guides for ordering. Installation looks pretty straight-forward: Drill a few holes, fasten a few clips, hang the header and blinds, and presto! Thousands of BTU's of heat are exhaled into the room with zero emissions, zero operating cost and zero maintenance needs.
As if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the Heaters qualify for Federal Solar Energy tax incentives.
The design isn't fancy -- a brushed aluminum-style finish faces the interior of the room -- and you'll probably want to be removing them during the warmer summer months, which is a slight bother. Oh, and the blinds aren't cheap -- one 6'x8' treatment sells for close to $1500. That certainly had me whipping the calculator out to determine how quickly the Heaters would pay for themselves, given a 35% savings in heating cost.
Here's one last consideration: there's really no point in having them installed on windows that don't see the sun, so your home decor may suffer from a slight imbalance, at least as window treatments are concerned. If you can get beyond that, I'd say the Heaters are worth taking a look at.
Would you consider the SolarChoice Heaters for your home this winter?
Most people care enough about energy efficiency that they'll make some changes to their own home to lower the bills a few bucks. But wielding the caulk gun at a stranger's house? Isn't that extremist? The volunteers at HEET don't think so. The Massachusetts-based organization combines weatherizing techniques and good ole-fashioned barn raising sensibilities to kill a few birds with one big good-will stone. Improve a home's energy efficiency? Check. Teach participants skills on said topic? Check. Build community? Check.
Their most recent "barn raising" (yes, they really call them that) attracted the attention of fellow blogger Martin LaMonica, who joined 40 others to help weatherize a leaky New England house before Old Man Winter starts his blowing. You can read all about his experience on his CNET GreenTech blog page.
Great concept, great cause. I wonder how many of these groups are cropping up across the country. Have you helped raise a barn lately? What are you doing to winterize your house this season? Get great tips for winterizing on a budget.
The strangulation death of a four year old has prompted the recall of 32,600 window blinds largely sold in the Florida area. About 15,400 horizontal, 16,400 vertical and 800 Cellular Shades from Vertical Land Inc., of Panama City Beach, City and Pensacola, Fla. The blinds were sold at Vertical Land stores from January 1992 through December 2006 for between $60 and $200 (depending on the size of the blind). A sticker identification label can be found on the head rail of some of the window coverings which lists the company’s name, address and telephone number. Consumers should immediately stop using the window coverings and contact Vertical Land at (800) 423-8653 to receive a free retrofit kit.
Over time, exposure to the Sun can damage furniture, carpets and artwork. But you can protect your possessions from the Sun's harmful rays with solar protection window film from companies such as CHB Industries. This protective film blocks 98 percent of ultraviolet rays. It also cuts down on heating and cooling costs. In the summer, the film can keep the house up to 65 percent cooler by protecting against solar heat gain. In the winter, the film acts as insulation and reduces heat loss by up to 15 percent. Put it in place before the pictures on your walls turn a pale blue.
There's never been a better time to install energy-efficient windows. Due to changes in tax law with the passage of the new stimulus bill, energy-efficient windows purchased in 2009 and 2010 are eligible for a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost, capped at $1,500. This is five times more tax credit than before. The law has some specific restrictions, which you can read at this page from Simonton Windows.
Having an energy-efficient home not only saves your family money on monthly bills but also on your taxes. Energy Star has a list of federal tax credits to save your family money this tax season. According to their Web page, "Home improvement tax credits are available for insulation, replacement windows, water heaters, certain high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and biomass stoves." Did you perform one of these improvements this past year? Complete documentation of the tax credits is available on the Energy Star site.
