We have been experiencing a heat wave for the past couple of days (with humidity it felt like 41 Celsius – 105.6 F – in MAY in ONTARIO!). Our new (old) house does not have central air conditioning so we were feeling very anxious about just how hot the house would get. Surprisingly it is not too bad. This is due in large part to the fact that we use our ceiling fans and more importantly that we lower all the blinds during the day so the hot sun stays out. That is one thing that came with the house that we are quite pleased with: blinds on almost every window. Closing the blinds reduces the need to run air conditioners or even fans which in turn means you are using less electricity and can save a few bucks on your bill over the summer months. If you don’t have blinds, putting any kind of material on the window to keep out the sun will help. Towels, sheets and sarongs work well.
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Closing the blinds also protects your furniture. Fabrics will bleach and wood will dry out.
We have had the opposite weather here- wet and cold. As far as the blinds go, I know it is a good idea but I hate blocking out the sun. I like how it makes my house plants do well and makes me feel happy. I like to get as much sun as I can. I do try to make sure the blinds are closed when we aren’t at home, at least most of them.
One of the biggest advantages of having blinds on the windows is that by blocking the light from entering the room, they help a lot in saving money that is needed for air conditioning.