SelectBlinds Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering Shades Review: Double-Cell Insulation Claims vs What Is Certified

What the Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering shade is, and who it is for

The Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering Cellular Shade is SelectBlinds' light-filtering double-cell honeycomb: two stacked rows of half-inch cells, made to size in eighth-inch steps in both directions, in 27 colors, with seven lift styles and a no-drill mounting option, from Custom Brands Group per the catalog's vendor field. Its list price sat in the lower third of SelectBlinds' cellular ladder when we checked (2026-09-28). Everything here is desk-verified from SelectBlinds' published product page, measuring guide and policy pages on 2026-09-28, plus the AERC certified-products directory (data captured 2026-09-13) for the insulation question. Nothing comes from first-hand use, and where the page is silent the spec is marked "not published." SelectBlinds is this site's affiliate merchant: we may earn a commission if you buy through a link on this page.

The word "double" is doing the selling: "enhanced insulation," "two layers of air pockets," "helping maintain more consistent indoor temperatures throughout the year." So this review is organized around the one question the listing cannot answer: is the second row of cells buying measurable insulation, or a look and a size envelope? The envelope, the lift list, and the colors are real and published; the insulation is a claim with no certified number behind it, on this shade or on any SelectBlinds house-brand cellular. Buy it for the things the Specifications tab can prove.

Who it is for: a window anywhere from 13 to 120 inches wide depending on lift, a frame with as little as 3/4 inch of depth on the corded and motorized lifts or 1 1/4 inches on cordless, a room that wants soft daytime light and daytime privacy, a color that is not white, and any need beyond a plain cordless lift, from top-down/bottom-up to a cord loop, a motor, or a no-drill mount in a rental. Cordless is the safer choice in a home with young children. If that describes your window, the Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering shade is the configurable answer in this part of the ladder.

Light control as SelectBlinds describes it

The page's language: the fabric will "softly diffuse natural light," the shade offers "balanced light control," and the headline feature is "Soft, Diffused Light: Create a warm, inviting atmosphere without sacrificing daytime privacy." That is the standard light-filtering promise: daytime glow and daytime privacy, with a lit silhouette at night from outside. No room-darkening or blackout claim appears on the page, no openness or light-transmission figure is published, and there is no nighttime-privacy statement.

Two details are stated. The back of the shade is white "to conform with HOA standards," so every one of the 27 colors reads white from the street. And the fabric group is labeled as half-inch double cell construction beside the color picker: the cell is half an inch, doubled. The fabric's fiber is not published. SelectBlinds sells a blackout twin, the Premier Double Cellular Blackout, whose list price ranked 32nd of 76, in the middle third of the ladder, and that is the answer for a bedroom that has to be dark; opacity is a fabric decision, not a cell-count decision. Order swatches before choosing among 27 colors; the picker offers up to 30 free.

The insulation claim, and what is actually certified

SelectBlinds' claim, verbatim: "The double cell honeycomb design creates two layers of air pockets for added insulation, helping regulate indoor temperatures year round." No certified U-factor is published for this shade, and the page has no R-value, AERC listing, or Energy Star reference either.

The independent reference point is the Attachments Energy Rating Council directory, read on 2026-09-13: 114 certified cellular shades, all rated on the same double-pane, clear-glass, non-metal-frame baseline, so the numbers are comparable to each other and to nothing else. The figure that matters for heat loss is the closed-shade U-factor; lower means less heat flow. Three findings settle how much weight "double" should carry.

First, who certifies. Two manufacturers account for all 114 products: Hunter Douglas with 108 and Springs Window Fashions, the owner of Bali and Levolor, with 6. SelectBlinds' house-brand cellular shades, this one included, are not in the directory. Absence is evidence of non-certification, not of poor performance.

Second, cell count. Among certified products that state a cell count, single-cell shades have a median closed U-factor of 0.26 across 22 products, ranging from 0.24 to 0.31, and double-cell shades a median of 0.275 across 8 products, ranging from 0.26 to 0.29. The double-cell group is small, and 84 of the 114 listings do not state a cell count at all, so the honest reading is narrow: among certified products, a second cell does not show up as a lower U-factor.

Third, opacity. Light-filtering certified shades have a median closed U-factor of 0.28 across 79 products; room-darkening shades, 0.24 across 35. Cross the two: single-cell light-filtering 0.29 across 11, double-cell light-filtering 0.27 across 5, single-cell room-darkening 0.25 across 11, double-cell room-darkening 0.28 across 3. The fabric's opacity moves the number more than the cell count does. If insulation is why you are shopping, a room-darkening or blackout fabric is the lever with certified support, and a light-filtering double cell is the lever without it.

AERC publishes U-factor, solar heat gain, visible transmittance, and air leakage, not R-values; no standards body publishes an R-value for a cellular shade, so any R-value attached to a honeycomb shade is vendor marketing. The full explanation is in single-cell vs double-cell shades, and how a shade compares with a heavy curtain on the same window is in curtains vs blinds for insulation.

The second cell gives you a look and, on this listing, a large size envelope and a long option list; buy it for those, and do not pay the step up from the Premier Single Cellular line, which lists below it, for insulation you cannot measure. If a lower U-factor is the goal, the certified path is a Hunter Douglas, Bali, or Levolor cellular with a directory listing; within SelectBlinds' own catalog the better-supported lever is a blackout fabric such as the Click2Fit Total Blackout Cordless Cellular, which lists well above it on the same ladder and trades daylight for opacity.

Sizes, limits, and options as published

The Specifications tab summarizes width 13 to 120 inches and height 12 to 120 inches, varying by lift style, then publishes the table you actually order from:

Dimensions by Configuration as published on the product page's Specifications tab on 2026-09-28.

Notes the page attaches to that table:

• Coverings 12 inches wide and under have a maximum height of 80 inches, and the page recommends the same lift for every shade in a room because headrails vary by lift.
• Hold-down brackets are available on inside mounts and add a 1/2-inch headrail deduction at the factory; extension brackets and spacer blocks are offered for protruding trim.
• Click2Fit is inside mount only, needs 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 inches of depth by option, is "not recommended for use with PVC window frames," leaves its headrail visible, and has approximately 1/4 inch deducted from the headrail at the factory; cordless lifts need 2 1/2 inches or more with it.
• The lift selector states that "corded lifts with accessible cords pose a strangulation hazard to young children and pets," and the page says the cord-loop lifts' safety device must be applied to the chain loop to prevent a free-hanging loop.
• Production: "Orders typically ship within 4-5 business days," then 1 to 7 additional business days in transit, with free standard shipping inside the contiguous United States.

The pattern is the practical finding: the cordless lifts the page recommends around children have the narrowest ceiling, 84 inches, and the deepest requirement, 1 1/4 inches, while the corded and motorized lifts reach 96 and 120 inches on 3/4 inch of depth. A wide slider pushes you toward a cord loop or a motor.

Measuring for this shade: inside vs outside mount

Custom blinds are made to your numbers and are generally not returnable, and every seller applies its own deductions, so the Measuring tab on this product page governs, not a general guide.

Inside mount. Confirm depth for the lift you chose from the table above. Measure the width at the top, middle, and bottom and "use the smallest width out of those numbers," rounding a sixteenth or a thirty-second down to the nearest eighth. Measure the height at the left, center, and right, from the top of the opening to the sill, and "use the largest height," rounding up. Width first, then height. SelectBlinds takes the deduction: "We will make all the necessary deductions based on the measurements you provide. Do not make your own deductions. Don't add to the width to make up for any deductions that we will take." Small side gaps are normal, with a stated tolerance of plus or minus an eighth.

Click2Fit changes the rule. For the no-drill mount, the page's "important measuring tip" is to take all three width readings to check for variance but enter the exact width at the top of the frame; if the readings differ by more than 1/4 inch, the page warns that Click2Fit "may not fit properly."

Outside mount. The shade is built "to the exact dimensions you provide" with "no automatic additions." Pick a surface with at least 1 to 2 1/2 inches of flat space, per the page, measure the width in three places, take the largest, and add the recommended minimum of 4 inches; do the same for height.

The Measure and Fit Checker returns the typical deduction rule for your mount and product type, a typical minimum inside-mount depth to confirm, and a printable measure checklist. Its typical cellular depth, 3/4 inch, matches this shade's corded and motorized lifts; the cordless lifts need 1 1/4 inches, so go by the table above. The mount decision itself is covered in inside vs outside mount. Use a steel tape; the page says so.

Price position at analysis

When we checked on 2026-09-28, this shade's list price ranked 23rd of SelectBlinds' 76 cellular listings, in the lower third of the ladder: above the Budget, Casual, Signature, Cordless Light Filtering, and Premier Single lines, and below the Select, Legacy, and LEVOLOR lines and the vertical, skylight, and day-and-night cellulars that crowd the top of the ladder. Prices change with size and SelectBlinds' rolling promotions; the Where to buy box below shows the price we last recorded, and the seller's configurator is the only price that counts. Lifts, accessories, Click2Fit, and warranty tiers are priced by the same configurator for your size.

For scale on the same ladder: the Premier Single Cellular Light Filtering line ranked 16th with 29 colors, the base Cordless Light Filtering line 7th with 8, and the Budget Cordless Light Filtering shade 1st with 2. The Cordless Light Filtering Cellular line is the single-cell shade to price against this one if the option list here is more than you need; its specs were not re-verified for this review, so read its Specifications tab first. The graded picks across the category are in the best cellular shades of 2026 and the cellular shades buyer's page, and cellular vs roller shades compares the two types.

FIT Protection, returns, and warranty

SelectBlinds applies one policy set to every product; the full read is in the SelectBlinds seller review.

Returns. The returns page states: "because all of our blinds and shades are custom made, we cannot offer a refund or exchange (remake) unless a product is defective." A measuring mistake is not a return; it is a FIT Protection claim.

FIT Protection: Measuring Guarantee. Per the guarantees page, "Our FIT Protection can be selected at the time you order for free. It covers ANY window covering that you order from us." The terms set the limits: claims within 90 days of the original order's purchase date; the corrected size within 2 inches per side of what you ordered, with a width-for-height transposition counting as a qualifying error inside that tolerance; one remake per covered product; four total remakes per household over the customer's lifetime; shipping charges on the remake; a possible charge for any price difference; and "no cash refunds are available through FIT Protection: Measuring Guarantee." Bulk orders of 25 or more products, awnings, and trade, business, or reseller accounts are excluded, and coverage is for the customer's personal residence. Add it at checkout; it costs nothing and it is the only safety net a custom order has.

The review window. The terms allow "a 4-hour review period after such orders are placed before sending the orders to our production facility." That is the margin for catching a wrong lift or a transposed pair.

Warranty. The configurator offers three warranty tiers: a 3-Year Limited Warranty, which the page labels free, a 5-Year Limited, and a 5-Year Unlimited. The page text states no price for the two 5-year tiers, so check the configurator before you choose. The base warranty "covers any defects ... in materials and workmanship for up to three (3) years, so long as the product is installed in accordance with the installation instructions," with "a flat $15 return shipping charge" as the customer's only cost on a claim, and the warranty page adds: "After 3 years: $5 charge for parts."

The honest cons

The insulation line is unquantified. "Two layers of air pockets for added insulation" comes with no certified U-factor, and among certified products the second cell does not show up as a lower number. If you are paying for insulation, you are paying for a claim.

The cordless lifts are the most constrained. 84 inches wide at most, 1 1/4 inches of depth, and top-down/bottom-up only from 17 inches wide.

Click2Fit is picky. Inside mount only, not for PVC frames, a visible headrail, a 1/4-inch factory deduction, and a 1/4-inch variance limit across your three width readings.

The fabric fiber and light transmission are not published; swatches are the only way to know how much light "light filtering" admits.

The page contradicts itself on which width to enter. The Measuring tab says smallest; the Recommendations block says "top measurement." Use the smallest unless you chose Click2Fit, whose own tip says top.

Who should pass

Pass if a certified insulation number is the reason you are shopping; that number exists only on Hunter Douglas and Springs Window Fashions products. Pass if you want the cordless lift on a window wider than 84 inches. Pass if you are ordering for a business, a trade account, or a bulk job of 25 or more units, since FIT Protection excludes all three. And pass if a plain cordless shade in white or gray on an ordinary window is all you need; the Budget Cordless Light Filtering shade, reviewed separately, does that at the lowest list price in SelectBlinds' cellular catalog when we checked, with the same policy set.

Verdict

The Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering shade is a strong buy for its size envelope, its lift list, and its 27 colors, and a weak buy for insulation, because the second cell comes with no certified number and the certified data for the category does not reward cell count. Configure it for the window in front of you, not for the energy claim on the page.

It earns its place over the lower-priced single-cell lines when you need something they do not publish: a 120-inch width on a cord loop, 3/4 inch of depth, top-down/bottom-up, a motor, or a no-drill mount. Order swatches, pick the lift from the table, enter the smallest width and the largest height, add FIT Protection, and buy one before the rest of the room. The Premier Double Cellular Light Filtering shade is desk-verified from SelectBlinds' published product page, measuring guide and policy pages on 2026-09-28 and the AERC directory as read on 2026-09-13; confirm the live page before ordering, because specs and policy text change.