How Do Shades Affect My Home’s Temperature?
A Guide to Controlling Your Home’s Climate with Window Treatments
You add window treatments to your Stamford, CT home because you want privacy, you may want to block out the light in the mornings you want to sleep in, or for style. But did you know that motorized shades can affect the temperature of your house? Here’s a guide on how to use your shades to change the climate using technology.
SEE ALSO: What are my options for window treatments?
To Keep it Cool
If you leave your shades open and let the sunlight in during the summer months, your home will heat up and your air conditioning will work extra hard to cool it down. Use solar shades to block the UV rays. The great part about it is you can still see outside. So if you want to lose the sweat and not the view, chose solar shades.
Another way to keep your home cool is to coordinate your motorized shades with your smart thermostat. An integrated control system can regulate the temperature in your home and automate your shades.
For example, when your thermostat starts cooling your house down to 73, have the solar shades come down automatically. Or, bring the shades down first and as soon as sensors show the house temperature comes down to 76, the thermostat will activate and finish the rest of the work by cooling the rooms to 74. Your system will use less energy bringing the heat down from 85 to 73, and you’ll save money in the process too.
You can do this by using a remote control, button on a keypad on the wall, or your voice using Amazon Alexa.
To Keep it Warm
Shades can insulate your home during the winter months too. If your house has big windows, it can be especially difficult to maintain a consistent temperature. In the summer, solar heat gain makes your spaces too hot. During the winter, the opposite happens, and all the heat your system churns out escapes through your windows. That’s why your shades are so important.
Automating your shades or draperies is the best way to ensure that the temperature in your home stays the same. Curtains provide insulation, sort of the same way a blanket keeps you warm while you sleep. It is hard for heat to pass through dense fabric, so it ends up staying in the room. You’ll also want to make sure there’s an air gap between the curtain and the window. A wider gap between the two will create a pocket of air, which traps the warmth.
If your room doesn’t have space for drapes and the air gap, consider honeycomb shades. The pleated design helps manufacture air pockets within the shades themselves, which hold on to the heat and don’t let it out. Using our smart controls, you’ll be able to raise and lower the shades at ideal times to keep you home cozy throughout the wintertime.
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