Window blinds, whether exterior or interior, can lower your energy bill both in winter and in summer. But unless you understand how blinds work, you might not get the best out of them.
During the summer, energy bills can skyrocket. This is because you use your air conditioning more often, to keep cool. But with clever use of interior blinds, you can reduce the need for air conditioning and ensure that your air conditioners work more efficiently when you do turn them on.
Install and Program Motorized Blinds
The simplest way to get the best out of your blinds throughout the long days of summer is to opt for motorized blinds. The best thing about motorized blinds is that you can program them to open or close at specific times of the day. This is very handy when you live in a busy household or work from home because you can program your blinds to adjust themselves gradually throughout the day.
This will help you keep your home well lit and cool on hot summer days.
Place Your Blinds as Close to Your Window as Possible
The closer your blinds are to your windows, the tighter the seal. If you leave a large gap between your blinds and your window, more heat energy will enter your home. Naturally, this will reduce the effectiveness of your air conditioning and thus increase your energy bill. Place your blinds as close to your windows as possible to stop heat energy from entering your home.
Choose Light Colours to Reflect Sunlight
Ensure that you choose light-coloured blinds. This shouldn't be a problem since blinds usually come with a dark side and a light side. Just make sure that you place your blinds with the light side facing outwards during the summer. Light colours reflect sunlight and keeping sunlight at bay during the summer months will keep your energy bill low.
Use Blinds to Diffuse Light and Heat
A great thing about blinds with horizontal louvres, such as venetian blinds, is that you can adjust the louvres during the day to reflect sunlight onto a light-coloured ceiling. Light colours help to diffuse sunlight and reduce glare. As such, with careful tweaking of your blinds throughout the day, and even with careful programming of motorized blinds, you can keep your room lit and cool.
Interior blinds are a great way to keep your home cool during the summer. But just make sure you understand how to get the best out of them if you aim to reduce your energy bills.
