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Roll-Up Shutters Save Energy, Protect House
If you're looking for a good way to seal up windows in your house you'll be interested in roll-up shutters that have been used widely in Europe for years and are now on the market in the U.S.
Made from reinforced PVC plastic, the shutters roll up into a tight roll above the window. To lower them into position, you simply use a hand crank inside the house. The shutters ride in a track on either side of the window, tightly sealing the window against the elements as well as vandals and burglars.
"The slats fit into each other like tongue and groove siding. When they're all the way down, the window is completely sealed and the room is pitch black. But, if you crank them up a few inches, there are small holes that let in light and ventilation through the slats. This is important during storms or during the summer when you want to shade the room but still provide some light," says Dave Rectenwald, representative of Weathertite Systems, distributor of the new window system.
In some older houses with particularly leaky windows, as much as 60% of the heat loss is out the windows. Putting the shutters down stops a majority of that loss. During summer the slats save on cooling costs and protect furniture and carpet from fading.
Roll-A-Way Shutters can be fitted to new construction or retrofitted to existing houses. They're particularly suited for patio doors and other wide openings since they can be constructed in lengths up to 20 ft. wide. They can be hand cranked or operated by electric motor. They could even be timed to go down automatically in the evening and come up in the morning. Because they're made from PVC they don't require any painting or maintenance.
A shutter for a 36-in. wide, 60-in. high window sells for $375. A 6-ft. wide patio door shutter sells for $675. Shutters are available in a variety of colors. The company is looking for dealers.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Weather Tite Systems, 2319 W. 1st. St., Duluth, Minn. 55806 (ph 218 722-2886).


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1985 - Volume #9, Issue #1