2017 | June 21

Cut Your Summer Energy Bills Using This Color of Drape

This summer you should have one goal: keep the heat out of your home.

Here’s why: If you reduce the amount of heat that comes into your home, that means your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard to cool your home. In turn, you’ll save money on monthly energy bills.

So we’ll let you in on a little money-saving tip: Change your dark drapes to a light or medium color.

According to energy.gov, “Studies demonstrate that medium-colored draperies with white-plastic backings can reduce heat gains by 33%.” (emphasis added).

In this article, we’ll look in more detail about why light & medium colored drapes keep the heat out, as well as another air conditioning tip that will save you $$$ and trouble this summer…

Let’s start with drapes...

Why light & medium colored drapes keep heat out

“Why do medium colored drapes perform best?”

Well, the darker the color, the more heat the drape material absorbs. Lighter colors reflect heat, making your room temperature cooler.

Other drape factors you’ll want to consider include…

Fabric type: Closed-weaved drapes like cotton or velvet insulate well, so they can contain heat better than open-weaved fabrics.
Thread count: The higher the thread count, the better the drapes will be at reducing the amount of heat and light coming through the window.
Layers: The more layers a drape has, the better it will be at keeping heat out of your home.

Want to block as much heat as possible? Look into thermal drapes, which have an extra layer of insulation that prevents heat from entering your rooms.

But even if you have perfect drapes, if your air conditioner isn’t up to par, you’ll still feel the heat...

Drapes keep heat out, but what’s more important is this:

Your AC takes indoor heat and moves it outside way more efficiently than your drapes can keep heat out.

So you want to make sure your AC is running at peak performance during summer. That’s why we recommend this one AC tip to homeowners once summer starts: get your AC tune-up ASAP.

During an AC tune-up, a technician will make sure your AC is running efficiently by checking for

Wiring issues
Refrigerant leaks
Thermostat issues
Dirty air filters

An AC that has working parts will run efficiently, which means you’ll save money on your monthly energy bill (as much as 15%) and you reduce the risk of a breakdown. The LAST thing you want during the middle of summer is to be without a working air conditioner!

“OK, when should I get my AC tune-up?”

The sooner, the better. Learn more about scheduling your AC tune-up by reading our article, “3 AC Problems You’ll Face if You Wait Any Longer for Maintenance.”

Schedule your annual air conditioning tune-up today

Contact MSP to schedule your AC tune-up today. We’ll make sure your AC is ready for summer and running in tip-top shape. That way, you can save more money for that dream vacation.

We’ve been serving families in the Twin Cities area since 1918.

Categories: Air Conditioning