Summer is one of the most expensive times of year – at least in terms of maintaining the temperature of your house. As temperatures rise, the air conditioning begins to struggle and the sun heats up the walls and the windows. If you have two stories, the heat will rise, making the upstairs bedrooms a struggle to sleep in. Window treatments can change all of that and help you regular the temperature of your house and keep cooling costs down.
Temperature Benefits
Window treatments will help keep the temperature of your house down, especially depending on the type of treatment. Shades, especially if they are installed close to the window, are very effective. Light colors that reflect sunlight, instead of absorbing it, also add bonus points to temperature reduction benefits. Blinds also redirect light and heat well. The more solid the window treatment, the more heat it will reflect. There are also reflective films you can apply to your window to get them to reflect more light. Adding an overhang can put your whole window in the shade for most of the day.
Light Reduction Benefits
The sun is up for so long and for so late during the summer! It’s hard to convince your child it’s bedtime when the sun is still blazing outside – and sometimes it’s hard to convince yourself. Why would you want to go to bed at eight if the sun is still bright, encouraging you to play outside at eight? Window treatments are necessary to give your eyes a rest and introduce some shade and darkness to your life this time of year.
Energy Saving Benefits
It’s pretty widely agreed that shades help you save money on air conditioning, but the range is quite large – it can be from 20 to 70 percent depending on the window treatment. If energy savings is your goal, exterior shading might actually be the most effective option. It can block up to 100 percent! On the plus side, getting window treatments done now will help you out when winter rolls around as well. In the winter, window treatments like shades can also help your home retain heat. That will also contribute to lower electric bills.
