Close your window shades during long summer afternoons. Keeping your drapes, blinds, and shades closed can help your home stay cool during those warm days.
When you close your window coverings during summer months, you prevent the sunlight shining through the panes from creating a mini greenhouse effect in your home. The results are even better if an outside shade is used, completely blocking the sun’s rays from penetrating the window.
If you keep the shades pulled over windows that receive a lot of sun exposure during the summer, you could reduce your cooling costs by up to 50 percent. If every air-conditioned household in the U.S. could cut its cooling costs in half by shading windows, the 91 billion kilowatt-hours of energy conserved could meet the air conditioning needs of every household in Texas for 18 months.
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alorenk says:
Also open the windows for cool air at night and close up early in the day. Nice to breathe fresh, cool air while sleeping!
posted 12/31/08 at 12:48 PM
randyolsen says:
I do this at my home in Palm Springs, where temp's can get pretty high, and it makes a profound difference. It's surprissing how much cooling the house stays when I close the blinds on the windows receiving direct sunlight.
posted 06/09/08 at 06:31 AM