Partner Post: How to Regulate Your Home's Temperature with Window Treatments

Abigail Sawyer

The tail end of winter and cold spring nights make us turn up the thermostat, and those hot summer days make us turn it down. Fortunately, you can take no-cost, simple actions to keep both low and high temperatures at bay.

Your window treatments, undeniably an interior-design statement, are also a layer of insulation that helps keep the heat inside or outside, depending on the season. It’s easy to use them to prevent heat loss or gain—and you’ll feel that in your wallet as well as your body since 45 percent of your energy bill goes to heating.

Although air may still get in around your window, closing window treatments such as draperies, shades and blinds at night may make you more comfortable because they divert the flow of cold air. The best part? You can also use your window treatments to stay cool when the weather finally warms up.

The sun can be a valuable heat source for your home if you know how to harness it properly. Simply adjusting your blinds or curtains to let it in (or keep it out) is an eco- and budget-friendly way to regulate your home’s temperature.

In the Cold Months

Use these strategic tips to let in the sun’s heat:

Open all of your window treatments for windows facing the warm sun to gather more heat inside your home.
Keep curtains and blinds closed unless the sun is shining directly on the glass. This helps your home gain heat and stay warm.
Use the tilt wand to adjust your closed blinds downward on a sunny but cold day. This directs the light and warmth of the sun ray’s into the room without sacrificing privacy.
Remember to close your window blinds as soon as it gets dark and keep them closed through the night. The blinds will provide another layer of insulation against chilly temperatures.
Keep window treatments closed in cold months for any room that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight. This way your window treatments provide more insulation since your room isn’t getting direct warmth from the sun.

In the Warm Months

Keep sweltering rays at bay with these tricks:

Close your blinds to deflect the hot sun and keep your home cooler. When completely closed, highly reflective blinds can reduce heat gain by around 45 percent, according to the Department of Energy.

Slats bring flexibility in the summer. Adjust your blinds by tilting them to reflect the hot rays outward.
Maximize your effort by tilting slats upward to allow less light and minimize heat transfer into the room. This deflects the sunlight and its energy out from the room, keeping the temperatures cool and reducing the load on your air conditioning system, which saves energy.

Using your blinds or window treatments for temperature control is a no-cost, low-tech action that is easy and effective. Adjust them according to the season to keep your home comfortable.