There's a lot to love about blackout curtains: They keep the light out so you get a great night's rest, they help keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter (saving you money and helping the environment), and they can even reduce noise if you live in a busy area.
Ideally, you should use both types of curtains and change them from the cold to the warm season. Blackout curtains will keep your house cooler during the sizzling hot summer days, while thermal curtains will keep warmth from escaping out of the windows.
Blackout curtains and shades will reduce the amount of heat which is transferred via your windows by as much as 24 percent, keeping the rooms where they're installed cooler in summer and warmer in winter. This will allow you to use your heating and cooling system more efficiently and save energy.
The primary purpose of blackout curtains is to keep light from streaming into the home where it is not wanted, but they also can serve to help insulate the home by blocking direct sunlight. Blackout curtains shouldn't be ironed, bleached or placed in the washing machine because of their often synthetic linings.
Thermal curtains feature a layer of acrylic foam between the double or triple layers of fabric to provide insulation, making these curtains ideal for winter months or drafty windows. Thermal curtains can also dampen sound, block out sunlight, and reduce energy bills.
Curtains help with heat retention by limiting the flow of air between the warm and cold areas of a room. Even double-glazed windows will afford heat with a chance to escape, but a set of heavy curtains will form a barrier that'll limit the flow of air from the main room to the window.
Yes! Thermal curtains work effectively during both winter and summer. Medium- to light-colored curtains with a white, thermally reflective backing can reduce heat gain during the summer by as much as 33% by reflecting solar radiation. The orientation of the window also affects energy efficiency.
For example, lightweight materials, such as linen, lace and sheer cotton, are loosely woven and allow chilly air to penetrate your rooms. Choose thick curtains in heavyweight, tightly woven textiles -- velvet, tapestry, tweed, denim, suede -- to provide a dense barrier against chilly outdoor air.
Blackout curtains can trap heat in during the winter and keep light and heat out during the summer. 10-25% of thermal energy loss goes out the windows. Blackout curtains can curtail this loss by a 25%, reducing your utility bills and greenhouse gases.
The clever use of blinds, curtains, and other window treatments can help keep your house cool and your bills in check. The Department of Energy says the smart management of window coverings can reduce heat gain by up to 77 percent. (And, as a bonus, these same practices can reduce heat loss in the winter.)
Drapes, curtains and blinds enable you to control the amount of sunlight that enters the room. If you keep them closed completely, you can block the light and heat coming from the sun. You might want to consider window treatments with a light-colored or reflective backing as they are known to work best.
Things to consider:
Sunlight will fade dark curtains. If unlined, during summer, a darker curtain will absorb heat and radiate it.
Your curtains aren't just useful for controlling the temperature in the summer. Like all types of insulation, they will help keep rooms cool in summer and warm in winter.
Curtains offer better insulation and soundproofing.
In warm weather, however, blinds beat curtains in energy efficiency. Because blinds leak more heat from a room, they also decrease indoor heat gain more efficiently in the summer, by around 45 percent, which can lower your AC bills.
Thermal curtains are an extra layer of insulation you can use to make your home more energy efficient. The best thermal curtains consist of multiple layers of fabric with thick padding that prevents air from circulating from your window into your home.
Red, terracotta, orange or burgundy tones add instant heat and cosiness. Think about the texture of your fabrics too: Chenilles and velvet are soft and warming both to the touch and eye.
Thermal insulated curtains, also known as blackout curtains, are often used to optimise the levels of heat in any room of your home in which you choose to install these types of curtains. Due to the specific insulated fabric, these curtains help less heat to escape from your home windows, increasing energy efficiency.
A Vacuum. A vacuum is by far the best known insulator for keeping things cold. Wikipedia gives it an R-value of 14-66 per inch. Compare this to white styrofoam with an R value of 3.6-4.7 and you can see just how incredible a vacuum is at keeping things cold.
Not only do they offer daytime privacy, diffuse bright light and offer a degree of insulation against heat and cold, but they do it all at the same time as softening rooms with their floaty, textural appearance. They're also ideal for layering, partnering perfectly with blockout roller blinds and plantation shutters.
Yes. Emergency management agencies specifically recommend using “aluminum foil-covered cardboard” between windows and drapes to reflect heat back outside.
Closing your window blinds on hot summer days blocks the sunlight to keep your home cooler and reduce your energy use. Closing them on cold winter nights cuts down on heat loss, so your home stays warmer with less strain on your furnace.
3. Do Solar Shades Keep Heat and Cold Out? Solar shades can help reduce heat in a window, but they will not block cold. They reduce heat by blocking the amount of sunlight coming into a space, and making the windows more energy efficient.
Blackout curtains improve energy efficiency by helping to insulate a room. Blackout curtains are thick, so they also help soften outside noise. Blackout curtains are available in a range of colors and sizes. Since you can't see through blackout curtains at all, they increase privacy better than other curtain types.