When Christian Brothers Automotive Company (CBAC) built its new corporate headquarters, CEO Mark Carr wanted to ensure employee productivity and comfort. Located in Houston, the concrete headquarters building needed features to help combat the harsh Texas summers.
Steve Palmer, President of Creative Blinds, Inc. and his team specified Hunter Douglas’ motorized RB 500 roller shades and a specially heat-reflective fabric, T Screen with KOOLBLACK Technology™, to help block the intense sun pouring in from all sides of the CBAC headquarters.
“The heat was obviously brutal, but so was the glare, especially on the east, west, and south sides of the building,” said Steve Palmer, President of Creative Blinds, Inc.
The design called for motorized shades on the top floor, ensuring ease of use and creating a sharp appearance from both the interior and exterior of the building.
“The shades look good, and the employees really like them,” said Carr. “I would estimate it’s probably about 10 or 15 degrees cooler with the T Screen with KOOLBLACK Technology™ fabric, which allows our team to feel more comfortable and be productive.”
CBAC has also noticed significant monetary savings, which Carr attributes partially to the shades boosting the building’s energy efficiency.
“We budgeted a substantial amount monthly for electricity costs,” said Carr. “With the help of the shading fabrics, our average monthly bills are less than half of what we initially expected for heating and air conditioning costs. We are anticipating break even costs for the shading system in about two and a half years.”
Other customers have experienced similar effects after installing the shade fabrics, according to Robert Beals, Product Manager at Mermet Sun Control Textiles. In fact, the fabrics have been proven to reflect 65% of all solar energy, reducing heat gain, as well as blocking 91% of visible light to control glare, enhance visual comfort, and increase workspace productivity.
