UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J., April 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With Tax Day behind us, it's time to recognize Earth Day on Friday, April 22.  It's an occasion when more and more people are considering how they can become more green and environmentally conscious in their lives and particularly their homes.  

In the little-known facts department, leading window fashions manufacturer Hunter Douglas estimates that almost five percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. passes through the windows of residential homes and as much as 50 percent of a home's energy is lost through these same windows.

Select Hunter Douglas products can significantly reduce this energy loss, helping customers stay more comfortable in their homes, save on heating and cooling costs and do their part to help protect the environment.  Here are some specifics:

• Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades with a highly insulating cell-within-a-cell honeycomb structure that traps the air, can more than double the energy efficiency of a window.  Additionally, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, federal tax credits for energy-efficient products are available for 10 percent of the cost of most Duette Architella® shades, up to a maximum of $500 in total, when purchased and installed through December 31, 2011, provided the expense meets the tax guidelines.  These are the first and only window shades to qualify for the tax credit without add-on insulation systems.  More information on the tax credit is available at hunterdouglas.com/taxcredit.

• Come May 2, there is another exciting addition to the Duette Architella shades story. The company is debuting a new linen-inspired fabric along with one made of 45-percent bamboo that feature the new IllumiCell™, a clear inner honeycomb that allows greater transmission of light, making the fabric's natural texture more visible.  IllumiCell offers the same great energy efficiency as the original Architella construction.  Before even hitting the market, these fabrics won in the Energy Efficiency Category of the esteemed Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) Product Awards.  The bamboo fabric, which is made from sustainable and recycled materials with its own natural variations, is the first sustainable Hunter Douglas honeycomb fabric. It won in the Sustainability Category of the WCMA awards.

The Hunter Douglas Corporate Commitment

The Hunter Douglas commitment to energy conservation does not end at industry-leading product innovation.  The company is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) and an Energy Star Partner as well.  With production facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada, Hunter Douglas has also implemented an aggressive plan to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 20 percent over a three-year period.

Related philanthropic outreach includes financial support of the Arbor Day Foundation in its efforts to replant trees lost to fires and to preserve rapidly diminishing rainforest lands.  To date, 33,625 trees have been planted in North America and 193 acres of rainforest preserved as a result of these donations.  

Hunter Douglas also provides monies to the Acumen Fund -- an equity fund that invests in technologies that assist millions of people in developing countries to live safer and healthier lives while reducing their impact on the environment.  Its activities include purifying drinking water and backing the commercialization of LED lighting products to replace polluting kerosene lamps.

From products to processes to philanthropy, environmental consciousness is a core Hunter Douglas value.

Hunter Douglas Inc. is a national sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, covering windows in every Habitat home built in the U.S. and Canada.  Headquartered in Upper Saddle River N.J., the company is the leading manufacturer of custom window fashions in North America.  For more information, contact Hunter Douglas at 1-800-274-2985 or visit www.hunterdouglas.com.

SOURCE Hunter Douglas Inc.