The heatwave is seeing record-breaking temperatures and making people rethink the staycation! While it’s great to escape to the terraces open around the city, what can you do to keep your home or office cool when it’s hot outside? To stop the heat we first need to understand how it’s warming our interiors.

When the sun shines onto our windows a good deal of it’s heat is transmitted directly. Some of the heat warms up the glazing and frame, which in turn pass on their heat to the adjacent air and walls.

The best way to stop the heat is to block the incoming sunlight. In fact, the US Department of Energy suggests we can reduce the heat entering our homes by up to 45% if we close close the blinds or curtains, particularly if they present a white or reflective lining to the glazing. Just as with clothing, using pale shades will absorb less heat so this helps cut down the radiated heat.

All our curtains and roman blinds, in any colour, can be lined with thermal blackout available in ivory and white. To learn more read our blog here on interlinings.

Rooms that are not overlooked, or that are south-facing, will receive a lot of sunlight and can benefit from a sun-blocking window treatment like this elegant blackout roman blind.

We can reduce the heat entering our homes by up to 45% if we close close the blinds or curtains

Blackout roller blinds on the doors out to the garden can be discreetly rolled up when they’re not in use. During the day they can provide protection from strong sunlight, making this cool getaway the perfect snug or guest room.

If you already have curtains or romans, consider adding a layer with an energy saving roller blind. Just as we layer up when we get dressed, having several layers at your windows allows you to adapt to the changing weather and lighting conditions through the day and the year.

Roller blind fabrics are available in three main categories, in decreasing light transmission: voile, dim-out and blackout. Remember that while light cannot pass through a blackout fabric the blind will still have light seepage around the edges. If you don’t want to lose the daylight but just cut back on the heat consider our Perspective Screen whose open weave cuts up to 95% of UVs. The Strata SPC has a reflective back coating to reflect 100% of the  incident sunlight. Both Perspective and Strata offer an energy rating of 2, on a scale of 1 to 3, and will provide intermediate protection. As they allow less light to pass through, the best protection from the heat remains our blackout fabrics. Choose a pale colour of roller blind to reduce heat absorption.

Pull-up roller blinds are a great way to have a window treatment that is flexible, providing privacy while you keep as much, or as little, light as you want.

Once you have curtains or blinds in place with good protection from the sunlight, don’t forget to open them and get some cool air in when the sun sets. Opening windows on opposite sides of the room or home can really help to circulate the air and strike up a breeze.

If you don’t want the hassle of chasing the sun from room to room, why not have your blinds motorised? They can then be programmed to raise or lower based on your room temperature or time of day. And if you’re sitting in the office, dreading leaving the cool air conditioning to be welcomed by the warmth of home, remember motorised blinds can be operated remotely via Somfy’s TaHoma app.

Motorise and program blinds to open or close based on the room temperature or time of day.

If you’re struggling with the heat and want to see what you can do to improve the heat insulation of your windows with curtains or blinds, speak to one of our designers or drop by one of our London showrooms.