How Blinds and Curtains Can Help Homeowners Save Energy

How Blinds and Curtains Can Help Homeowners Save Energy

Increasing costs and a questionable economy has caused a growing number of homeowners to search for different ways to save money on their energy bill. One of the best ways of doing this is to simply use less energy or practice more energy-conscious practices in order to live more sustainably. While most people assume you must upgrade your entire HVAC system to a more energy efficient unit to cut back and save on energy costs, this is not necessarily the case. There are certain simple actions you can take to conserve energy, such as using energy-efficient lighting and hanging up blinds and curtains. The following information explains a few tips to decrease your overall carbon footprint.

Energy-Saving Blinds and Curtains

Blinds and curtains come in a wide variety of forms, patterns, and designs. Best of all, they are effective at keeping light and energy in as well as preventing the sun's energetic rays from getting in through windows and warming your home. Your windows are one of the biggest factors affecting your energy consumption. The U.S. Department of Energy reported up to 25 percent of your home's heating bill can be attributed to energy lost due to your windows alone. That’s an impressive statistic to consider for any home. Window covers like our Cellular Shades are built to offer convenient functionality while adding significant insulation to your home at the same time.

New Energy-Efficient Windows?

While installing new energy efficient windows in your home may appear to be an effective way to reduce your energy consumption, new windows do not always give the expected energy-savings return. The best solution has been to use energy-efficient window treatments, such as drapes, window films, plastic sheeting, and specialized thermal curtains. In any case, if you are considering installing replacement windows, you should have an energy audit before you do so. Energy audits cost a small fraction of the cost of installing new windows and will guide you toward the best investment. Specifically, your home energy audit will help you determine whether you should continue to consider new windows or to consider more cost-conscious measures and opt for replacement windows with energy-efficient design in mind.

Adjust for Savings

During the winter months, you may want to leave your blinds or curtains open on the side of your home with the most direct sunlight. As the sunlight enters your home, it will naturally warm the space. As a result, the overall temperature of your home will be higher, which will prevent the need for using your furnace. When nighttime comes or when there is an overcast, you will find it more effective to keep your curtains or drapes closed to prevent the heat from escaping. In addition, keeping your curtains or drapes closed during the summer months will prevent sunlight from entering and make your space easier to cool.

Energy-Saving Vacation Tips

When you head out for a vacation or an extended stay away from home, make sure you close or lower your blinds and curtains, followed by turning off your thermostat completely. This will prevent heat from leaving during the winter and from coming in during the summer months. During the winter months if you leave your furnace on, keeping your blinds and shades closed will decrease the rate temperatures change in your home. But again, if you’re planning on vacationing for several days, it’s best to simply turn the thermostat off completely and draw the shades anyways to deter unwanted visitors from peering into your vacant home while keeping the temperature well insulated at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Many experienced homeowners will find that you don’t have to perform any major renovations or implement heavy costs to save energy. In fact, sometimes it’s the little additions or changes that can have an immediate and significant impact. So if you currently can’t upgrade to more energy efficient windows in the immediate future, the additions of quality blinds or curtains to your current windows can help cool down any home or keep warmth in during the colder seasons. And for those that currently do have more sustainable windows, curtains or quality blinds can really optimize your home’s temperature within. These are fantastic to have in order to cut back on summer cooling and winter re-heating costs and will allow you added privacy as well.