Windows are openings to the outside world that can make any home seem open and fresh, but large windows can also be a source of heat in the summertime that must be reduced in some way so as to make the residents more comfortable. When the windows are uncovered, and there is no treated glass in the home, the heat transfer from the sun can be enormous and the house can heat up dramatically.
This transference of heat might be beneficial in the winter, but in the summer such temperatures can be brutal to endure. There are a number of summer window treatment options available for making it harder for the heat to invade a home during this hot season.
Blinds & Shades
There are a few different designs of blinds and shades that work to keep a home free of heat, such as blinds might be a honeycomb style that expands when the blinds cover the windows. These blinds or shades are an easy and immediate way to reduce heat in the home and are easily drawn up when the heat has passed.
Some of the interesting options for blinds today are those that are reversible and have one side that draws heat in and another side that reflects it. This means the blinds can be turned with the dark side outward in the winter to absorb heat, and the reflective side outward in the summer to prevent heat from entering the home.
A home owner should also consider exterior blinds if the design of the home might accommodate such a design as this option can also keep out heat during the summer, and it can also look rather stylish on certain home exteriors.
Fabric & Drapes
A nice pair of curtains can certainly make the interior of a home look polished and stylish, but this decorative element may also assist in keeping the interior cool in the summer. Today’s curtains and drapes are available in appealing thermal varieties that will help to block the heat and light that enters the home.
These curtains are sometimes called “blackout curtains,” and are well-placed on windows where the sun is often present, such as the south or west facing facade of the home. There is a layer of insulation within the curtains that prevents the transference of heat or cold into the home from the exterior.
Window Films and Treated Windows
In the past few years, advanced window films have come onto the market that are designed to reflect the sun’s heat away from a home and reduce the amount of heat that comes into a home. It’s essential to consider that these films will also block heat transference in the winter, which is not always something a home owner might want if he or she lives in a particularly northern climate with a long winter.
Exterior Awnings
For particularly sunny areas where a resident might want to spend some of the summer with his or her windows uncovered, an alternative is a window awning where the harshest rays of the sun can be blocked in the middle of the day when the sun is overhead. This option can be a little expensive since it requires installing the awning on the exterior of the home, but today’s awnings can often be designed specifically to match the architecture and design of a home.
