Survey of window-treatment-use among cities with different heating and cooling requirements

The purpose of this research was to survey window-treatment-use by developing and administering a questionnaire. Another purpose was to determine if relationships exist between window-treatment-use and the demographic variables of income, building type, and home location, and the external variables of direction windows face, what windows face, and how well the window treatments are thought to insulate the windows. The survey of window-treatment-use was accomplished by the mailing out of the Window Treatment Use Questionnaire to desultorily selected recipients in three cities whose heating and cooling requirements differed: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Miami, Florida. There were 1000 questionnaires sent to each city. The 332 responses to the questionnaire were analyzed by computer for frequency and for chi-square values between the window-treatment-use variables and the demographic and external variables. Significant relationships were found between the following variables in hypotheses 3, 4, and 6, which were partially rejected: management frequency and single or multiple family residence; management frequency and public or private areas; and primary reason closed and insulation. In terms of window-treatment-use, window treatments for all directions were opened primarily for light, and closed for privacy. Window treatments were not perceived to insulate windows very well.