As summer draws near in Toronto, you’ll need a plan to keep your home cool and comfortable. One effective way to reduce heat from windows is with the right window coverings. Shades, shutters, blinds, and drapery can all help block direct sun, reduce glare, and make your home feel more comfortable during the hottest months of the year.
But what’s causing that heat gain in the first place? Let’s uncover why your home feels so warm in summer, and how the right window treatments can help keep your home cool. For a broader look at year-round performance, you can also explore our energy-efficient window treatment solutions.
Why Windows Make Your Home Feel Hot
Windows bring in beautiful natural light, but they can also allow heat to build quickly inside your home. This is especially true for large windows, south- or west-facing rooms, skylights, and spaces with uncovered glass.
See it up-close: This image shows two windows—one bare, one covered with insulating shades.
When sunlight enters through bare windows, it warms floors, counters, furniture, and surrounding surfaces. Once those surfaces heat up, the entire room can feel warmer, even if the air conditioner is running.
Can You Feel the Heat Transfer?
Heat transfer is one of the main reasons homeowners avoid leaving windows bare in the summer. It’s what makes your home feel stuffy in the middle of the day. But heat transfer can also be a welcomed effect in the right season, warming up a breakfast nook or creating a cozy spot for your morning coffee.
When it comes to summer comfort, the goal is control. There are three types of heat transfer to understand:
Conduction: Heat can transfer through a solid object. A window heats up on a hot day, then transfers that heat inside. Insulating window coverings can help reduce this effect.
Radiation: Follow a sunbeam from the window to the carpet. The sunbeam might not feel hot in the air, but the surface where it lands can become very warm. When this happens indoors, heat builds up quickly.
Convection: Moving air can bring heat toward a cool window on a hot day. Window treatments that create a barrier can help slow that airflow and keep the interior temperature more comfortable.
Can You Escape Heat Gain?
Heat gain is the result of heat transfer. It’s the exhausting warmth you feel inside your home, even when the windows are closed and the AC is running. It’s the warm countertops, floors, and furniture where sunlight streams through uncovered glass.
Can you escape it? It helps to create a barrier between the window and the room. Window coverings help reduce radiant heat by blocking or filtering the sun before it reaches interior surfaces. This is one of the most effective ways to keep your home cool in summer.
In the photo above, the floor-to-ceiling windows are completely bare. Every surface touched by sunshine will begin to heat up, causing the surrounding air to feel warmer. The same room, featured below, becomes more comfortable when the sunshine is blocked.
Best Window Coverings to Keep Your Home Cool
The best blinds and shades for heat reduction are the ones that match your windows, exposure, and lifestyle. Some products are designed to insulate, while others are best at filtering or blocking direct sunlight. Here are several options that can help reduce heat from windows during Toronto summers.
Honeycomb Shades
A top choice for keeping rooms cooler is honeycomb shades. The air pockets inside cellular shades create a barrier at the window, helping reduce heat transfer from outside to inside.
When raised, these shades stack neatly at the top of the window, allowing you to enjoy the view when direct sun is not an issue.
Cellular Roller Shades
The same air-filled pocket design is also found in Sonnette® Cellular Roller Shades. These shades offer the insulating benefits of cellular construction with the clean, rolling operation homeowners love.
They are a strong choice when you want window coverings to keep your home cool, but you also want a low-profile look that rolls up and out of sight.
Custom Drapery
A long-standing option for controlling heat and light is custom drapery. Drapes can be customized depending on the amount of sunshine your home receives. They can be light and airy for filtered brightness, or designed with lining for more protection from the sun.
Drapery also works beautifully when layered with shades, giving you more flexibility throughout the day. You can filter light with shades while using drapery panels for added softness, privacy, and heat control.
Plantation Shutters
To reduce heat gain, consider plantation shutters. Adjustable louvers can close flat to block light from entering the room. When direct sunshine is blocked, interior surfaces are less likely to heat up.
Shutters also allow you to redirect light. With the louvers adjusted, natural light can still enter the space without allowing direct sunlight to hit floors, furniture, or countertops. This makes shutters a practical choice for rooms that need both light control and summer comfort.
Roman Shades
Roman shades can help block incoming light while adding softness and style to the room. When lowered, the folds of fabric create layers that help reduce airflow at the window. This can slow the warming effect that happens during hot summer months.
Rolling roman shades are another option for blocking incoming light while offering a tailored fabric look. Both styles can help keep your home cooler in summer while enhancing the design of the room.
Sheer Shades
The reflective quality of sheer shades can also help keep interiors cooler. Sheer fabrics diffuse direct sunlight, reduce glare, and soften the brightness entering the room. Because they reflect some of the sunshine outward, they can help reduce radiant heat transfer while preserving a beautiful filtered-light effect.
The difference between bare windows and covered windows can be significant, especially in rooms that receive strong afternoon sun.
What About Large Windows, Skylights, and Glass Doors?
Some windows need extra planning because of their size, height, or exposure to direct sun. Large windows, skylights, and glass doors can all contribute to heat gain if left uncovered.
If your home has oversized windows or floor-to-ceiling glass, explore our large window solutions. For patio doors and sliding doors, visit our glass door window treatment solutions. And if overhead light is causing heat and glare, our skylight window treatment solutions can help.
Should You Add Motorization for Summer Comfort?
Window coverings work best when you actually use them at the right times of day. That can be difficult when you’re busy, away from home, or dealing with hard-to-reach windows.
Motorized window treatments make summer comfort easier by allowing your shades to adjust on a schedule. You can lower shades during the strongest sun exposure, then raise them again when the heat of the day passes. This helps reduce heat from windows without constant manual adjustment.
Ways to Keep Your Home Cool This Summer
Covering your windows with the right treatments is a smart first step in reducing heat gain from summer sun. Window treatments can block direct light, reduce glare, insulate the glass, and slow airflow at the window.
Our specialists can visit your home to evaluate the most vulnerable areas, including sunny rooms, large windows, skylights, and glass doors. From there, we can create a plan to help keep your home cool and comfortable this summer.
Schedule your FREE design consultation today.
