Window Treatments that Can Reduce the Summer Heat
Not only are window treatments a key way to add personality, color, and texture to a room, they also reduce heat and control the amount of light that enters the rooms in your home. Window treatments can be inside your home or external features. Choosing a window treatment can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Awning, blinds, panels, screens, and shutters are just a few of the methods of window treatments that can reduce the summer heat in your home.
Each window and room in your home serve a unique purpose, so the ideal window treatments inside the home are ones that make the room feel complete. For example, living room curtains can be patterned or plain to complement the other furniture in the room. If you have a bold, patterned sofa or couch, a simple or plain curtain is a great way to keep the room from becoming too busy. If your room retains a lot of light and heat, consider dark-colored or light-resistant curtains (like blackout curtains) for living rooms, bedrooms, and anything in between.
Blinds—both exterior and interior—can also help reduce heat. Blinds should be kept shut during the summer months more maximum cooling benefit. Consider if your windows have awnings or not, as awnings on windows can also deflect light and reduce heat from the outside-in.
On the exterior of a window, homeowners should consider placing mesh screens on their windows as this can also reduce heat entering the home. These screens should cover the entire window to be most effective at blocking heat.
For those building a home, building shutters on windows is also a great way to monitor heat and air influx into your home. It is recommended by designers that shutters are included as the rest of the home is being built. Many can be opened and closed using mechanical levers from inside the room.
Creating an energy-efficient home can be challenging, but effective and innovative window treatments are options to help you elevate your home’s aesthetic while simultaneously saving you money in heating and electricity. Building a home with energy efficiency in mind is ideal, but renovations and easy additions like curtains and blinds on the interior of your home are also great options.