Drapes can keep an upstairs room cool

Working in a home office in an upper floor can turn into a sweaty experience during the summer, with or without a fan. This is also true for bedrooms and living rooms that seem to turn swampy when the temperatures creep upwards.

The Summit Daily reports that 5 percent of the most annual energy bills is are dedicated to air conditioning, so these devices should only be used as a last resort. Instead, homeowners should investigate, and eliminate, other potential sources of heat.

Some of the culprits that the news source lists are electrical appliances, lighting and open windows. Open windows can be responsible for allowing hot sunlight into the house and letting cold air out. To maximize window ventilation, one should keep them open at night and pull drapes over the windows during the day.

By adding an extra layer between the home and the hot air, drapes can effectively block the heat and, if they are drawn early in the day, the news provider claims they can trap the cold air from the night in the house.

Drapes can be custom-tailored to any room's theme, which makes them very versatile as window treatments. Experts suggest that drapes are also seeing a new rise in popularity, due to the potential of their personalized appearance.