When the weather starts to heat up, and humidity rises, it’s challenging to stay comfortable indoors and not stress about rising energy costs. Thankfully, the right window treatments can help block excess heat and UV rays without heavily reducing natural light and airflow. Your home’s windows are a critical element that helps keep your home cool, in addition to an HVAC system. Take a bite out of skyrocketing energy bills and improve your home’s energy efficiency with desirable window blinds and shades. Continue reading to discover which window coverings help maintain a lower indoor temperature without sacrificing style.
Window Treatments Create A Comfortable Interior
It’s no fun trying to survive a heat wave or stifling humidity for weeks on end. The strain on the electric grid and blackouts after tropical storms can make it challenging to keep cool if fans or HVAC systems are inoperable. One of the best ways to keep indoor house temperatures low is with the right window treatments.
Your choice of modern window treatments adds another layer of insulation to your home’s windows. Blackout shades are an excellent way to stop solar gain, reduce sun-bleached floors, and reduce how much the sun’s rays heat your property. Cordless rolling shades and transitional shades are desirable options if you wish to maintain a comfortable interior. Window blinds with adjustable louvers can help redirect natural air to flow inside your home, while blocking out the sun and prying eyes.
Before choosing appropriate window coverings for your home, please think of how you utilize each room and it’s orientation. Rooms with windows facing the north and east are usually less hot naturally, compared to windows facing the south and west, which tend to receive more intense sun exposure for longer. Window treatments that are a lighter color or have reflective properties may better redirect harmful UV rays and reduce how much heat your house absorbs.
Energy Efficiency & Indoor Temperature Control
As severe weather events become the new normal, battling climate change and staying cool during heat waves becomes more challenging. Smart homeowners are looking for ways to fortify their property against the elements and reduce rising energy bills. Install high-quality window treatments from a reputable manufacturer that increase energy efficiency, mitigate solar gain, and deflect harmful, sun-bleaching UV rays.
7 Window Treatments To Cool Your Home
The best window treatments for your home should keep your home cool without relying heavily on fans or air conditioners. We cover different window coverings that increase your home’s energy efficiency and seamlessly match your interior’s style. Select window blinds and shades that effortlessly lock in cooling air from escaping, resist solar glare, and ensure your indoor temperature stays balanced.
1. Solar Shades
When the sun’s harsh UV rays are beaming down onto your house, the greenhouse effect may amplify if you don’t have insulated windows. Carpeting, hardwood floors, furniture, and artwork on walls can suffer discoloration and bleaching without adequate protection. Solar shades are optimal window coverings for rooms that receive a lot of natural light, facing the west or south.
Rolling solar shades help reduce painful glare from the sun, using a tightly woven, coated material. Homeowners can choose a desirable level of opacity to filter sunlight, control lighting, and keep the indoor temperature of their property cooler. Cordless solar shades are an optimal window treatment to reduce exposure to UVA and UVB rays from the sun.
2. Thermal Insulated Shades
Choose a quality window shade that uses thermal insulating material to control solar gain, filter lighting, and stop cool air from escaping through windows. Thermal shades are an energy efficient window treatment that resists solar glare and heat gain, and they’re available in a range of opacities, including blackout. Honeycomb shades are a unique and desirable covering with thermal insulating qualities. The construction consists of individual cells that trap air and add a layer of insulation to windows to minimize energy loss through windows.
3. Allure Transitional Shades
Allure Transitional shades are a luxurious modern window treatment that allows you to enjoy a cooler indoor temperature. The beauty of this window covering is that it consists of a double layer of fabric to filter light. Choose transitional window shades to combat UV rays, resist fading and humidity, and cordless operation.
4. Blackout Shades
Reduce solar gain significantly and block out the sun’s harmful UV rays with blackout shades. Provide welcome relief and encourage cooling in any room with this type of window covering. Choose from blackout shades that are honeycomb cellular, Roman, or cordless rolling shades in contemporary styles.
5. Vertical Blinds
Pair vertical blinds with adjustable louvers in kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms with a ceiling fan to better direct cool air and send hot air away. Choose from vertical window blinds with blackout, fabric, or PVC louvers to filter light, enhance privacy, and reduce heat and humidity indoors. Adjustable louvers are an easy way to prevent excess heat build up in homes and stay cool.
6. Shutters
Embrace traditional wooden shutters with slanted louvers that are standard or extra wide to control airflow and reduce solar gain. Homes benefit from cooling window treatments that improve privacy, and reduce how much heat and humidity enter your home. Window shutters are a considerable investment but increase your home's curb appeal and market value.
7. Motorized Window Treatments
Step into the future and reduce energy bills to keep your home cool with motorized window treatments. Choose from window blinds and shades that can accommodate smart, motorized controls. Set window coverings to open or close at set times of day to thwart solar glare and heat absorption. Enjoy modern convenience and safer controls with cordless window shades and blinds that adjust with an app or connect to a smart thermostat.
Fantastic Window Coverings For A Cooler Home
Homeowners shouldn’t break the bank to maintain a stable, low indoor temperature, especially during the height of summer. Installing quality window coverings using tightly woven materials, light colors, and reflective qualities can combat solar gain and intense UV rays. Reputable manufacturers produce a range of window blinds and shades to redirect heat and minimize energy loss through windows. Explore different window treatments to keep your home cool at All About Blinds.
