Darker-colored drapes trap more heat inside, while lighter-colored drapes reflect light. Generally, light-colored drapes with a lining are best for cooling your home.
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.
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.
Blackout blinds are most commonly associated with their room darkening properties. However, their benefits extend far beyond just controlling light! Along with this valuable use, they can also help to reduce thermal heat gain in your home during the hot summer months.
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.
The trick is to use the right type of window shades to block the heat and to install them as close to the glass as possible to get the maximum benefit. For insulation purposes, cellular or honeycomb shades are the most effective. The honeycomb shape helps to trap air, reducing your solar heat gain.
Thermal blinds work by creating a heat reflective barrier at your window. These blinds have aluminium lined, honeycomb pockets that trap the air and work to create a thermal barrier between the window and your home, reducing heat loss by reflecting the heat back into the room.
Warmer Environment During Winter
In the cooler months, if you want to maintain a warmer temperature without letting in bright sunlight, it's best to close the blinds with the slats turned down.
Close your blinds and curtains.
Keeping your blinds closed during the day will reflect a surprising amount of heat radiating in through windows, especially during the time of day when the sun's rays shine directly on your home.
The short answer is yes, closing your blinds can help to keep the heat out of your home. When sunlight enters your home through windows, it heats up the air and surfaces inside. By blocking out the sun's rays, you can prevent some of this heat from entering your home in the first place.
Close curtains and blinds
If you're on a budget consider only thermal lining the rooms with direct sun. 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.
Creating a cross-breeze through your house by opening windows at opposing sides of the house and keeping doors open so the air can move freely will also work wonders in keeping hot air outside when coupled with closed interior window shutters to deflect any direct sunlight.
Insulation. Simply put, this is the best way to cool down a house with big windows. While insulation may be only one word, it needs to be applied in multiple places (and in multiple ways) in order to really be effective in making a home like Jeff's more comfortable so he can enjoy those gorgeous Folsom views.
Keep the Doors and Windows Open
One of the inexpensive ways to cool down your home is to open windows on opposite ends of your house in the evening to let the cool breeze in. Creating a cross breeze will improve home ventilation and help you beat the heat without air conditioning.
To really cool down a room with a fan, place a deep dish of ice in the front of it to whip up the water mist and chill the breeze. You can also point a box fan out of an open window in the evenings – this pushes the hot air out instead of just blowing it around the room. Cool down a room with a fan.
Use those fans. Turn on ceiling fans or use standup, box fans when you're upstairs to circulate the air. If temps are milder at night, position a fan in front of an open window to draw in that cool air. This is one of the best and cheapest ways to keep your house cool in the summer.
LED bulbs work by using an electrical current passed through semiconductive material to illuminate the tiny diodes. The heat produced is absorbed into a heat sink, keeping the bulbs cool to the touch. That also means they don't emit heat into your home, which may help you save on air conditioning costs.
Cellular Shades
Also known as honeycomb shades, these are the best, most energy-efficient window covering to beat the heat thanks to their construction. These have cells stacked on top of each other and those cells trap air, creating pockets of insulation that slows the progress of heat.
Honeycomb shades are one of the best window coverings to keep heat out. The honeycomb design helps to insulate the window, and the cellular shade structure traps air to further reduce heat transfer.
Using Tin Foil Or Cardboard
Tinfoil, or aluminium foil, is a common and inexpensive way to blackout your window.
Curtain panels made of thicker, darker colored materials, such as black or navy thick cotton or polyester, will block out more of the sun than curtains made of thinner, lighter colored fabrics, such as a white or oatmeal linen. If you want to block out the sun completely, paneled blackout curtains are a great option.