Sustainable Shutters made from Western Red Cedar by Timbeck

Shutters/Energy Savers
These days, the design or renovation of a house needs to answer a lot more questions than ever before. In our fragile world, we are being pressured about sustainability, carbon footprints, responsible use of resources, the need to be green, and how we must conserve energy. The government, by its insulation initiative, has recognised the importance of minimising heat loss and conserving energy in the house. The most obvious area of heat loss is through the glass in your windows!

To save energy and heating costs, aluminium and pvc windows are now being overlooked in favour of solid timber windows. Alternatively, consider the use of western red cedar shutters - a desirable window furnishing, and a fashion statement with purpose - a simple yet extraordinarily effective way to minimise heat transfer.

Western Red Cedar - The Natural Insulator
Timber is an excellent insulator (r), helping to keep buildings cool in summer and reduce heating costs in winter. The conduction of heat in timber is directly related to its density. Timbers with low density have the highest thermal insulating (r) value. Western Red Cedar is recognised as the best thermal insulator amongst commonly available softwoods, and has 400 times better insulation (r) value than steel, 2000 times that of aluminium, and 8 times that of concrete (example; 17 mm thickness of western red cedar will provide the same insulation (r) as one full brick).

Plainly, western red cedar shutters are far superior to aluminium or plastic in controlling heat transfer.

Cedar is Sustainable
Western Red Cedar is the ultimate green building material. It is responsibly and sustainably harvested in the publicly managed forests of British Columbia (bc), Canada. Less than 1% of bc's cedar growing volume is harvested per year. for each tree logged, 3 are replanted to ensure the forests will exist in perpetuity. Today there are more forests in North America than there were 100 years ago. These young trees are excellent carbon sinks, as they consume and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Cedar is bio-degradable, renewable, energy efficient, and being timber, the only carbon dioxide consuming, oxygen giving, carbon storing recyclable building product on the planet.

Cedar Qualities
Western Red Cedar contains natural fungicides that make it resistant to insect attack and rot. Long known for its dimensional stability, cedar seasons quickly, and has a very low shrinkage factor. Freedom from pitch and resin gives western red cedar excellent finishing properties, providing an ideal surface for full bodied paints or stains and semi-transparent products.

Cedar's natural weather resistance, stability, longevity and excellent working properties make it ideally suited for specialist applications such as shutters.

As a means of saving energy, helping the environment, and reducing your property's carbon footprint, the installation of western red cedar shutters becomes common sense. Shutters control and filter light, allow natural air flow, reduce floor fading and improve your personal comfort. When enhanced by cedar's unique properties and beauty, western red cedar shutters become a wise investment into the future.