The summer sun is a wonderful thing; it helps the garden to grow, gives us tans and freckles, and warms us up for the long winter ahead. But the hot summer sun also heat up the house, which we then try to cool using the air conditioner, which in turn uses more energy and gives us a bigger power bill. In the end we curse the sun that heated the house that made us use the air conditioner and gave us a bigger power bill. Ah the joys of summer.

This battle against the sun pouring into your house can be won with the simple installation of heavy, dark curtains. Blinds are helpful to block the neighbors view, but they generally don’t block out all the light. Curtains though are generally made to be bigger than the window so there will be plenty of material to spread out over the window to block out the light.

Curtains also have a few other strong points over blinds. Blinds get dusty very easily, but are not all that easy to clean. The dust can build up and make the air in your home less enjoyable, especially if you have allergies. If curtains get dirty you can throw them in the washer. Also you have a wider variety of materials to choose from for curtains, especially if you are making them yourself. You can choose from a host of eco friendly materials like organic cotton or hemp.

Having dark curtains drawn over your windows may leave the inside of your home feeling rather dreary, but the heat they block out may lead to less air conditioner use and in the end a smaller power bill.