Blinds That Leave the Cold Outside

As the weather gets colder, drafty windows and uninsulated glass can make your home too cold to be comfortable. Along with letting a chill in, your windows may be contributing to a rising heating bill. So make your home more winter-ready with window treatments that leave the cold outside. Learn more about insulated blinds, how they work and how you can use them and other window accessories to make every room in your house snug and cozy through the cold seasons.

What Are Insulated Blinds?

Insulated blinds are built with an arrangement of single, double or triple cells, which add air pockets to the blinds that can effectively block cold air. The hollow cells create a barrier between the cold temperatures seeping through the window and the rest of your heated space.

Insulated blinds aren't just useful in the middle of winter. Because of their insulating qualities, they can also help keep rooms cool during the summer.

What Are Insulated Blinds Made Of?

Insulated blinds, also called cellular blinds or honeycomb blinds, come in a range of textures and colors that can be customized to match the style of your home decor. The most important factor is the construction: how many insulative cells the blinds have and how thick the material is.

How Do Insulated Blinds Work?

If you have drafty windows with small gaps, they can let cold air in. But the bigger problem is that most windows let warm air out. The heat from your furnace or HVAC fills the room, and some of that heated air presses against the window, where a lot of that heat energy can drain away. This leaves you constantly turning up the heat or feeling a distinct chill in the air near your windows.

But the hollow cells in insulated window blinds and shades can slow or significantly reduce that energy transfer. The thick materials stay filled with a layer of air that prevents new, heated air from touching the window. As a general rule, the thicker the insulation (and the more layers of cells it has), the better the reduction of thermal transfer.

Benefits of Having Insulated Blinds

If you're shopping for new blinds, it's important to know what benefits to expect so you can make sure they're actually addressing your priorities for the new purchase. Some of the top benefits of switching to insulated blinds include how you can:

1. Retain More Heat

The top benefit of insulated blinds is that your house can hold onto more heat. Heat will travel much more slowly through the buffer of cells and air, so it won't be able to press up against the window and lose all of its heat quickly. You can go back to your favorite window seat in comfort!

2. Reduce Cold Drafts

By the same token, insulated blinds can cut down on drafts and sudden temperature shifts in the evening. Look for insulated blinds that sit snugly across the window so there are no bare spots for cold air to reach through. It's also important to investigate drafts to make sure you don't have gaps in your windows.

3. Make Your Windows More Energy-Efficient

Insulated blinds boost the value of your windows. Single-paned and even double-paned windows can only do so much to stop the thermal transfer. Thick cellular blinds that trap air and slow down heat loss keep more heated air inside your home where it belongs. You'll use less energy to keep your home heated.

4. Increase Overall Comfort in Your Home

Cold rooms can be uncomfortable, especially if the temperature suddenly drops as the sun goes down. Unprotected windows can make the area around them too chilly, but insulated blinds restore the whole room to your preferred temperature. Whether you have window seats near a bay window or your bed sits against a window, insulated blinds mean you won't need extra blankets and sweaters.

5. Save More Money During the Winter

Heating up your home during the colder months can be pricey, especially if the air outside is stealing all your heat. Because insulated blinds reduce thermal transfer, your furnace or HVAC doesn't have to constantly cycle on to replenish lost heat. That means you save on energy and money month after month.

Two Ways to Improve Your Insulated Blinds

On their own, insulated blinds can drastically improve how warm and comfortable your home is. But there are a couple ways to make your home even cozier.

1. Additional Window Treatments

Thick curtains and window treatments help create additional layers of insulation. Rich tapestry fabric, black-out curtains and even light fabrics with a blackout lining can create some of the same effects as cellular blinds. So if your winters are especially cold, adding curtains on either side of your blinds is just like giving them an extra blanket or coat.

2. Automated and Motorized Blinds

When you're settling in for a cozy evening, the last thing you want to do is walk across the cold floor to shut your insulated blinds. So opt for automated and motorized blinds instead. You can control these from a handy remote or even an app on your phone. Then you can enjoy the warmth and even get the whole house ready for a cold winter night with a single press of a button.

Shop for Insulated Window Blinds and More at Budget Blinds

At Budget Blinds, we specialize in providing beautiful, cost-effective blinds and window treatments for all of our customers. Whether you want to give your home a new style for the new season or you want to keep the cold air outside, we're here to help. Schedule a free consultation with our local design experts today!