Do blinds insulate against cold?
The answer is 'yes', certain types of blinds will trap a layer of air between the fabric and the glass, helping to keep out the cold coming in from your windows. Professionally fitted thermal blinds can be an energy efficient way to keep the heat in and the cold out.
Do thermal blinds keep heat in as effectively as curtains? Thermal blinds are generally superior at insulating than to curtains, even curtains made with insulated linings. Blinds have a closer fit to your wall or window, don't have a gap in the middle, and on the whole, perform more efficiently all round.
Blinds insulate your home by trapping a layer of air between the fabric and the window when correctly measured and installed. This effectively seals the windows, preventing air from escaping through them. Pull up the blinds during the day for the best effect, allowing sunlight to warm the house.
Yes, all blinds help to keep the warmth on the inside (assuming that the issue is heat loss from the windows rather than generally poor insulation) but some types of blinds are much better at this than others.
In the winter, if you have south-facing windows, let the light shine in. The sun will help heat your home naturally, which takes some pressure off your furnace. For other windows, keep blinds and curtains close during the winter to keep heat inside your home.
Smart Home Cooling Tips. Close your blinds and curtains. Keeping your blinds closed during the day will reflect a surprising amount of heat radiating in through windows, especially during the time of day when the sun's rays shine directly on your home.
The very best window blinds that keep the cold out are Duette blinds. Duette blinds have a honeycomb design which helps trap a layer of air inside the blind, so the blind works in a similar way to your double glazing. Making them fantastic for insulation.
Insulated Cellular Shades
Insulated shades contain one or more air layers in a honeycomb cross-section. Some can be adjusted from the top, from the bottom, or both. Insulated cellular shades are typically considered to have the highest R-values of all window coverings.
Curtains are soundproof and offer better insulation
Because blinds require slats to function, heat can easily escape through the slats. Whereas, curtains don't require slats so heat is easily maintained. The thicker the curtain is the more insulated they are.
What is the insulation value of insulated window blinds? Single honeycomb shades have an insulation value around R-2, while double-layer honeycomb shades can reach R-5. They can block up to 62% of the heat transfer through the window.
Are shutters better than blinds for insulation?
Shutters are superb way of effectively adding a layer of insulation to your windows. When they are fully closed, they will keep the warm air in your room and block out any of those money draining draughts. The solid material of shutters will provide a more effective solution than blinds or curtains.
Because blinds leak more heat from a room, they also decrease indoor heat gain more efficiently in the summer, by around 45 percent, which can lower your AC bills. Curtains, which leak less heat, reduce indoor heat gain by only 33 percent in the summer.

Sunshine streams in through the window, and the gap in between the window and blinds captures the heat, producing a greenhouse effect. In the winter, this is a desirable effect, and in the summer, when you want it to be cooler in your home, all you have to do is raise the blinds to leave the window uncovered.
Privacy: Blinds provide an effective way to control the amount of privacy in a room. By adjusting the slats or pulling them completely closed, individuals can prevent outsiders from seeing inside their homes or offices.
When completely closed, highly reflective blinds can reduce heat gain by around 45 percent, says the DOE. They can also be adjusted to block and reflect direct sunlight onto a light-colored ceiling, which diffuses the light without much heat or glare.
Your blinds can make a huge difference to keeping the warm in and the cold out. A thick blind will block any draughts, keep the warm air in and create a comfortable, insulated environment in your home.
Are blackout shades better at blocking heat? Yes! If you choose a blackout fabric for your cellular shades, you're getting two layers of protection. The cellular fabric traps air to keep cold in, and the blackout layer blocks solar heat from ever entering your room.
For maximum heat retention, choose Solid shutters. They offer the biggest insulation impact of all shutter styles, due to the solid design without louvres. Just like curtains, you can have them open in the day to make the most of the natural sunlight, and close them at night to make things nice and cosy.
- Install Window Inserts. Window inserts offer excellent insulation during those frigid winter months while being cost-effective compared to full window replacements. ...
- Bubble Wrap. ...
- Traditional Caulk. ...
- Insulated Glass Units. ...
- Thermal Curtains. ...
- Draft Stoppers.
Window shutters are by design, incredibly versatile. They provide varying levels of light and privacy that curtains and blinds simply cannot. The shutter style and configuration and louvre you choose determines the amount of light coming in and how easy it is to see into the room.
What blinds are best for keeping out cold?
The very best window blinds that keep the cold out are Duette blinds. Duette blinds have a honeycomb design which helps trap a layer of air inside the blind, so the blind works in a similar way to your double glazing. Making them fantastic for insulation.
When blinds are closed with the slats turned up and the rounded side facing out, the heat is directed towards the ceiling, which helps keep the room cooler.
Blockout roller blinds
If you're looking to make your home as private as possible, and stop heat and light from entering your home, then blockout blinds are the perfect solution. They are some of the best shades to keep heat out of your room because they prevent solar rays from entering entirely.
Sunshine streams in through the window, and the gap in between the window and blinds captures the heat, producing a greenhouse effect. In the winter, this is a desirable effect, and in the summer, when you want it to be cooler in your home, all you have to do is raise the blinds to leave the window uncovered.
Closed blinds, regardless of the blind type, help to insulate the window they're on. Some blinds are far better at this than others, but a blind – particularly a very thermally efficient one – can make a massive difference to the amount of heat that escapes via your windows.