Your Summer Buying Guide: Choosing Window Treatments That Beat the Heat

Australian summers are known for long, scorching days, and as temperatures rise in Adelaide, your windows become one of the biggest contributors to indoor heat gain.

Without the right coverings, sunlight pours in, warms surfaces, fades furniture, and forces your air-conditioner to work overtime. Thankfully, there's a way to keep cool and bring sunlight into your home without worrying about the light heating your property: curtains and blinds!

The right smart window treatments reduce heat transfer, block UV rays, improve comfort and create a more energy-efficient home. This blog will be your best buying guide.

The Best Heat-Blocking Window Treatments at Burns for Blinds

Burns for Blinds offers a wide selection of blinds designed to maintain comfort and reduce heat throughout the hottest months. Here are the top performers for summer protection:

Roller Shutters (Best Exterior Heat-Blocking Solution)

Roller shutters are one of the most effective ways to block heat externally before it enters your home. Installed on the outside of your windows, they prevent harsh sunlight and radiant heat from reaching the glass, reducing indoor temperature.

Roller shutters provide:

• Superior thermal insulation
• Up to 100% light blockout
• Reduced heat transfer into living areas
• Protection from UV, storms, and noise
• Lower cooling costs during Adelaide summers

If your priority is keeping heat out before it enters your home, roller shutters offer the strongest overall summer performance.

Sunscreen Blinds

Why do they beat the heat? Sunscreen blinds filter harsh sunlight while still allowing outdoor views, so they're ideal for north and west-facing windows. With the option of motorisation, you can enjoy easy light control in bright Adelaide summers.

Available in a range of styles, including blockout roller blinds, roman shades, vertical blinds, and panel glides! Great for living rooms, dining areas, and home offices.

Roman Blinds

Roman blinds come in a range of stunning fabrics (from blockout to translucent) with a wide selection of colours to suit your favourite room. Teardrop and loop styles suit your space if you are going for a more traditional look.

Why do they beat the heat? The blockout style eliminates sunlight when you need it most. Sunscreen roman shades specifically minimise solar heat gain and glare but are best used when privacy is your least concern.

Whisper Shades

Whisper shades are the best interior window treatment for blocking heat, thanks to their unique cellular (honeycomb) design that traps air and prevents heat transfer. The stunning look of these shades is created through unique, soft vanes threaded through sheer facings. Because of their insulating pockets, cellular blinds outperform most other internal blinds when it comes to reducing heat gain inside your home.

Room-darkening and translucent fabrics are available, as well as operation controls such as motorised, manual, and battery-powered remote control. You can enjoy the view outside without that annoying afternoon glare! Overall, this option:

• Reduces harsh glare and offers light control when tilted

• Softens bright light in open-plan areas

Is energy-efficient due to layered design

Venetian Blinds (Aluminium or Woodmates®)

Venetians allow you to tilt slats to manage glare and heat precisely. Aluminium Venetian blinds control light flow such as glare, heat, shade, and the blades do not rust or discolour.

Timber Venetian blinds for Adelaide properties give the class and warmth of natural timber while also blocking light coming through cord holes.

Key benefits:

• Flexible control over incoming sunlight

• Reflective aluminium finishes bounce heat away

• Since Woodmates® is made of timber, it acts as a natural insulator between it and the interior of your room

Why Buy Window Treatments?

According to the Department of Energy, almost 90% of a home's heat is gained, and up to 40% of heating energy is lost through its windows. Summer heat affects every part of your home, so why is it worth the investment?

Control natural light

Make the most of the light during the day in cooler months when allowing the sun to heat your home is desired. Your spaces will be more comfortable, and it will reduce your reliance on natural lighting. It is a good idea to avoid placing furniture in front of windows to make the most out of light!

Seal any gaps

Gaps around windows create draughts, meaning your heating and cooling systems need to work harder and longer to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Signs of gaps include whistling or rattling during windy weather, moving curtains, or feeling a breeze near closed windows. If you do have an issue with draught proofing, make sure to hire a technician to perform an air-leakage analysis.

Window coverings help

Maximise temperature control by installing close-fitting lined blinds or curtains. Ideally, they should:

• Reach the floor and wrap to the wall on either side of your window

• Be lined with coloured "block out" backing to prevent heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer
• Be made of tightly woven material to trap air

In summer, close the coverings during the day to keep spaces cool, and when the sun sets, open the coverings to let the evening breeze blow through.

Window coverings provide comfort, regulate temperatures, and lower energy bills, but the exact savings depend on the type of attachment, your climate, and how the attachment is used.

How Window Treatments Combat Heat Gain

Window coverings (such as vertical blinds) act as an insulating barrier. Their design traps pockets of air, which help prevent heat from passing through the glass. This performance is often described using the R-Value, which measures thermal resistance.

• Higher R-Value = better insulation

• Better insulation = cooler rooms & reduced energy use 

Exterior vs Interior Heat Control: Why Roller Shutters Matter
While cellular blinds provide excellent insulation from inside the home, stopping heat before it reaches the glass is even more effective. Roller shutters block sunlight at the exterior, reducing solar heat gain at the earliest point and keeping indoor areas noticeably cooler.

Using roller shutters externally + cellular shades internally offer one of the strongest combinations for heat reduction.

Window coverings keep homes cooler in two main ways:

• Reflecting sunlight: Fabrics bounce light away from windows, preventing heat from entering.

• Absorbing and neutralising light: Some materials absorb heat while stopping it from reaching the room. 

High-performance fabrics such as sunscreen mesh and blockout materials combat summer heat, so why not check out what Burns For Blinds has to offer?

Do you want cellular window shades, plantation shutters, roller shutters, or an in-home consultation? Help me find a blind!

Residential Curtains in Adelaide That Beat the Heat: Call Us!

Heat-blocking window treatments (especially roller shutters on the outside and cellular blinds on the inside) are some of the smartest investments you can make before summer arrives.

From external roller shutters that stop heat before it enters, to internal cellular blinds that insulate your rooms, the right window treatments can transform your home’s comfort on even the hottest days.

Burns for Blinds has been a trusted name in South Australia since 1953, offering premium window blinds, curtains, security blinds, commercial and outdoor awnings and blinds from four showrooms across:

• Norwood

• Gepps X

• Mount Barker
• Seacombe Gardens

Book a free measure and quote today for tips on buying blinds and to stay comfortable all summer long.

Call (08) 8131 3333 for expert advice and tailored recommendations. We help you pick the perfect fit and finish for your property. Read more about our interest free terms and interior decor tips!