There are many ways you can make your home more energy efficient. One of them is to modify the windows with additional products that cuts down the heat entering or leaving the room. Various products are available in the market that can help you achieve this. Some of them include –
- Shades: These offer a quick and easy way to regulate the temperature inside your rooms. For best results, install the shades tightly close to the windows and the nearby walls. Doing so will make sure that there is not much scope for any solar heat loss or gain. It is also a good idea to purchase shades with two colors – dark tone on one side and light tone on the other. The dark colored side of the shades will absorb heat during the winter season. In contrast, the lighter side will reflect the solar heat in summer. As such, you can adapt just one product to control the room temperature for various seasons and get better results in the process.
- Roller Shutters: These energy efficient screens are highly useful in cutting down the heat transferred to the indoors. The insulation they offer easily reduces the impact of solar radiation in the rooms and also cuts down heat loss from the rooms to the outside. In addition, they also provide other benefits like increased security of the windows and reduced noise pollution. If you are looking for a long term solution to increase the energy efficiency of your home, then roller shutters are the way to go forward.
- Film: Adding a layer of high reflectivity film on the windows is also a very good way to reduce the heat transfer. The best way to use it is to attach them to windows that face the direction of the sun – east and west. The US Department of Energy recommends using films in regions which experience short winters.
- Blinds: Another way to control the heat inside the rooms is by using blinds. You can choose to install indoor or outdoor blinds. The huge benefit of outdoor blinds is that they will stop the solar heat even before it enters the rooms. In contrast, indoor blinds can only block the heat once it passes through the windows. On the other hand, cleaning and maintaining outdoor blinds may involve lot more work than the indoor ones since they are more exposed to the weather and pollution. But overall, blinds are a good option if you are looking for a highly effective way to not only control the indoor heat, but to also adjust ventilation in the rooms quickly.
All the above methods can significantly reduce the transfer of heat from the outside to the inside of your home and vice versa, whether it be shades, energy efficient window screens, film or blinds. As such, the rooms remain cool or warm for longer periods of time. This will reduce the energy usage of the air conditioners and heaters, subsequently giving you the benefit of lower bills.