Another benefit of blackout drapery is their ability to reduce your energy costs. In most homes, 10-25% of thermal energy loss is from windows. However, with blackout drapes, your energy bill could be reduced up to 25%. During the winter, blackout drapery will help keep the heat in the room.
Window Coverings for Heat Reduction
Window coverings are just as useful during the cooling season. Using shade to save energy is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your home's energy bill; it's as simple as drawing the curtains before you leave home in the morning!
According to some manufacturers, blackout curtains can reduce thermal loss by up to 25%. If you're spending a few thousand dollars a year on heating and cooling, the savings add up quite quickly and can offset the cost of the curtains within a short space of time.
Blackout curtains are frequently used in bedrooms due to their ability to block light and create a dark, relaxing ambiance. Blackout curtains also excel at enhancing insulation and keeping the heat out of a room, making them a prime choice for maintaining a comfortable home temperature.
In terms of energy efficiency, both room darkening and blackout curtains can be beneficial with 100% blackout curtains providing the most energy savings. Because they block out all light, they can also block out heat, which can help to keep a room cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Like many other cooling tips we recommend, blackout curtains won't completely cool your home on their own. They should be used in conjunction with an efficient air conditioning system for the best results. The Department of Energy says that the use of curtains can reduce heat gain from windows by up to 77 percent!
While everyone can benefit from less light exposure during sleep, blackout curtains are most valuable for people with sleep deficiencies and disorders. Generally, most adults require seven to nine hours of sleep daily.
Thermal curtains provide a barrier between the outside elements and the indoors. During summer, they block solar gain and reduce the amount of heat that penetrates windows. During the winter, they act as an insulating barrier between cold outside air and warm inside air.
The greatest benefit of using blackout curtains is they'll block light better than any other curtain. Other benefits of blackout curtains include: Blackout curtains improve energy efficiency by helping to insulate a room. Blackout curtains are thick, so they also help soften outside noise.
As the name would imply, blackout curtains block 100 percent of the sun's rays. This gives you total darkness and makes these curtains perfect for bedrooms, nurseries, dark rooms, and media/theater rooms.
The answer is generally yes. The drop length should be to the floor. When in doubt, err on the side of longer curtains. Whether or not you should puddle the curtains at the bottom is really a matter of personal preference, but for the most aesthetically pleasing and appropriate look, curtains should run to the floor.
Quality of fabric
Polyester fabrics are usually the typical choice for blackout protection but you can find a few other mixes as well. In general, the thicker or more dense the fabric, the more light protection it offers.
Apart from stopping cool and hot airflows, the air curtains keep clear the indoor environment of insects, dust, particles, contamination and odors. Researchers at the UPM proved that the usage of high efficient air curtains in stores means an energetic saving over 30%.
“It is important to maintain as dark of a room as possible while you're sleeping,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, a neurologist at Northwestern University, founder of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-author of both studies mentioned above.
If you are looking for a curtain that will completely prevent light from entering a room, we recommend Blockout. If you are looking for some light bleed through the curtain and you do not have to overly insulate your windows, Thermal curtains may be the right choice.
Absolutely. Curtains reduce the amount of air exchange between a cold window and the rest of the room. For keeping heat inside the home, high-quality curtains can reduce heat loss by around 40%, particularly if they are floor length and close to the wall and window panes.
White or light coloured curtains and blinds are better at reflecting heat and light away from your home. If you have thick, dark curtains, closing them will only trap heat in the room.
You may love sleeping in utter darkness, but your beloved blackout curtains could be the culprit of your tiredness. If no daylight can seep through your windows, your internal clock won't know day from night.
By blocking the view into a room from the outside, blackout curtains can prevent nosy neighbors or passersby from seeing into your home. This added layer of privacy can give you peace of mind and allow you to feel more secure in your living space.
It is a good idea to consider soothing and peaceful colours such as green, blue or pink in a bedroom. These colours are all known for their soothing and calming qualities. Blue has even been said to help fight insomnia and anxiety.
As such, blackout shades are perfect for not only improving the quality of your sleep, but also help to ensure privacy from nosy neighbors for those street facing windows in your home. These window treatments make your view in or out of your windows totally concealed.
The difference lies in their special coated fabric – Blockout/Blackout Curtains have a special coating of acrylic or liquefied rubber. The number of layers can sometimes differ – the more coats of rubber there are, the more opaque the curtain and the greater blockout/blackout capacity the coated fabrics has.
Blackout blinds or curtains
One tip is to close the curtains in the morning before it gets too hot, and to open your curtains and windows in the evening to allow in the cooler air. A rule of thumb is to open the windows when the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature.