what is the best color of window shade to keep heat out?
There are two aspects to keeping out heat. One is reflecting the heat. Black actually absorbs light and gets hot. White will reflect light and keep cool. Think about walking barefoot on the street vs the sidewalk on a hot day. The sidewalk might be hot, but if so, the street will likely burn you. The other aspect to shades keeping out heat is shades acting as a barrier. The thicker the window coverings, the more they will keep your interior temperature cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Windows are affected by temperature, just touch them to feel it. If you insulate them with a thick window covering it will help protect the interior house temperature from being so affected by the exterior temperature. Black out shades are much more effective than thinner shades. And they aren’t called black out because they are black, but because they are so much more effective at keeping a room dark.
