With the summer solstice quickly approaching, most California residents are already feeling the heat. It’s no surprise that many homeowners have concerns about how to maintain comfortable temperatures in their homes through the warmer months. So how exactly can you keep a house cool in the summer? Our Monumental Windows and Doors team is sharing some tips that might help make temperature maintenance easier.
How to Insulate Windows for Summer
First, let’s talk about some simple summer window insulation techniques that can be done around the home to mitigate some of the outdoor heat that may try to travel inside.
Weatherstrip Your Window
Weatherstripping involves adding an extra layer of sealed protection around the edges of your windows to prevent hot drafts of air from coming in. This can be done using materials such as felt or foam tape. The trick is to seal off even the tiniest cracks or openings that may let the slightest bit of air slip through.
Use Blackout Curtains
Drapes anyone? How about thermal blackout curtains that shield the sun in hot summer months? If you have hot house windows that tend to overheat from the sun’s rays, covering them up with black curtains can help to insulate against the heat. For the best results, look for thermal curtains that have at least two layers of triple-woven fabric and blackout technology.
Install Insulating Shutters
Colorful accent shutters seen on a home from a distance can be beautiful to admire, but the purpose they serve is even more special. Window panes naturally adjust to the outdoor temperatures in any given season. When it’s hot, they’re hot. When it’s cold, they’re cold. This will also affect the temperature inside your home. Adding insulated window shutters can help to regulate the indoor temperature without overworking your AC system. Insulated shutters work to reflect the heat back outward, creating a cool pocket of air between the shutter and the window. This ultimately conserves more energy over time.
Energy Efficiency: Thermally Broken Aluminum Windows and Doors
Speaking of conserving energy, energy efficient windows are all the rave as home design trends continue to change. Homeowners are more invested in purchasing products that are both sustainable and environmentally friendly. Monumental’s use of aluminum in the manufacturing process is part of what makes our products safe for the environment.
We use a special engineering procedure called “thermal breaking” that creates a break in the framing construction. This dual glazing method creates an energy-saving exterior built for longevity and sustainability. Because of this, our cool house windows have the capacity to exceed normal energy efficient standards.
There isn’t any one right way to combat rising temperatures and scorching heat in the summer months, but there are always solutions to keep your summer windows cool and crisp. Monumental Windows and Doors offers a wide variety of energy-efficient products that are built to withstand most weather-related conditions, so you’ll also want to check out the best windows for cold weather and cold climates crafted by MWD. For more information on products that may be a good fit for your new or existing home, take a look at our 2021 brochure.
Photo credit: D. O'Rourke