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.)
Blinds can reduce heat gain by 45% for a significant increase in energy performance. Energy efficiency isn't the only consideration, though —curtains can offer better soundproofing than blinds, as well as add an elegant, luxurious feel to your home's décor.
Window blinds can help to keep more of your central heating inside of the house during the winter, and so it stands to reason that they can also help to keep more of the sun (and so, heat) outside of the house in the summer, for the 5-7 hot days of the year during which this tends to be a significant problem here in ...
The short answer is yes – blackout blinds block sunlight, making them one of the best ways to keep a room cool. Keep your blinds closed all day and you'll find there's a noticeable difference in room temperature – and the more sunlight your blinds block out, the cooler the room will be.
Yes, blinds are good insulation for windows, regardless of the type of blind you use. This is because the closed blind forms a barrier (that is permeable to various extents depending on the blind), which helps to keep heat in, cold out, and to take the edge off draughts from rattly windows.
In the winter, if you have south-facing windows, let the light shine in. The sun will help heat your home naturally, which takes some pressure off your furnace. For other windows, keep blinds and curtains close during the winter to keep heat inside your home.
Curtains are soundproof and offer better insulation
The thicker the curtain is the more insulated they are. However, in summer, blinds are better than curtains for energy efficiency. This is because heat escapes easily through the slats.
Light-coloured blinds, particularly white are the best choice for keeping your home cool in summer. Dark coloured blinds, especially black blinds, can have the opposite effect. They'll do their job in terms of privacy and light control, but the dark colour will attract the sun and could potentially add to overheating.
But if it's rainy the loss shoots up to 20 per cent. And if it's windy and rainy, expect a massive 30 per cent heat loss. And do not underestimate the power of curtains. Drawing the blinds at dusk can reduce heat loss by 13-14 per cent and curtains from 15-17 per cent, Richard reveals.
Overall, white blinds can reasonably be considered to be better in terms of their ability to support an ambient temperature to some degree in both hot or cold weather; they're definitely better than black blinds in this respect if you look at the year-round picture.
Keep blinds open during the day. Not only will this practice save you some money on energy bills during the winter, but it can also keep you and your family healthier. Read on to find out how sunlight can kill harmful bacteria present in the dust in your rooms.
2. Keep blinds, shutters or curtains closed on particularly cloudy, or cold days, and definitely at night. This is the time when the cold can come through your windows. The earlier you close the blinds in the late afternoon the better.
Window blinds—vertical (Venetian blinds) or horizontal slat-type (louvered-type)—are effective at reducing summer heat gain and reducing glare, while providing good daylight indoors.
How Blinds Help Keep Cold Out. When blinds are measured and fitted properly they insulate your home by trapping a layer of air between the blinds fabric and the window. This effectively seals of your windows so that air can't escape from the windows.
Researchers say heart rates rise and the body can't rest properly when there's light in a bedroom. Their findings add that exposure to even moderate ambient lighting during nighttime sleep, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms cardiovascular function and increases insulin resistance the following morning.
Around two thirds of this is due to the radiation through the glazing. Air leakage tends to be the next biggest contributor especially from windows with poor insulation. The remaining heat loss is due to heat convection through cavities and poor heat conduction through the windows frame.
Cellular blinds
This keeps the temperature much more stable inside your home throughout the seasons and maintains a much more comfortable temperature. Cellular blinds have been shown to reduce heat transfer by up to 58% with room darkening fabrics – this could translate to a significant saving on your energy bill!
Insulated blinds are built with an arrangement of single, double or triple cells, which add air pockets to the blinds that can effectively block cold air. The hollow cells create a barrier between the cold temperatures seeping through the window and the rest of your heated space.
Better winter option: turning the blinds down will help direct heat towards the center of the room, utilizing your resources in the winter. More light: because the blinds are facing down, light can stream in from the sun easier, which will flow towards the center of your living space.
Probably the best blinds to keep the heat in overall are Roman blinds; the good quality lined type.
Modern Roman blinds are one of the best thermal window covering options. These thermal blinds are a great way to keep heat in as they are made by large fabric panels being mounted onto slats which are pulled together by a chain.
Sunshine streams in through the window, and the gap in between the window and blinds captures the heat, producing a greenhouse effect. In the winter, this is a desirable effect, and in the summer, when you want it to be cooler in your home, all you have to do is raise the blinds to leave the window uncovered.
2. Keep blinds, shutters or curtains closed on particularly cloudy, or cold days, and definitely at night. This is the time when the cold can come through your windows. The earlier you close the blinds in the late afternoon the better.
What percentage of heat is lost through windows? For most houses, windows typically account for 10% of total heat lost. Around two thirds of this is due to the radiation through the glazing. Air leakage tends to be the next biggest contributor especially from windows with poor insulation.