Cellular shades help most in a Chaska December when you use two simple habits. Close them at dusk to hold the day's warmth inside. Open them wide around noon on sunny days to let the low sun heat your rooms. Homeowners across the Burnsville MN area and the rest of the south metro can do the same. The habits cost nothing, and they work with the shades you already have.

Do cellular shades keep the cold out in a Chaska December?

Yes, they're one of the warmer things you can hang at a window. Look at the edge of a cellular shade and you'll see rows of little cells. Each one holds a pocket of air. When the shade is down, it also traps a layer of air between the fabric and the glass. That still air slows heat leaving the room. It also cuts the cold draft you feel near a window on a January night.

The U.S. Department of Energy notes that Minnesota led the way here. In 2023 it became the first state to list certified cellular shades in the manual it uses to plan energy programs.

The catch is simple. A shade can only hold heat when it's down, and it can only let sun in when it's up. Timing does the rest.

Why does timing matter so much in a Chaska December?

Because the sun keeps short hours. In Chaska the sun sets at 4:33 p.m. from December 8 to 11. On December 21 it rises at 7:49 a.m. and sets at 4:36 p.m. Sun tables from the U.S. Naval Observatory put that day at about 8 hours and 47 minutes.

The sun also stays low. It's at its highest around 12:06 p.m. in early December. Even then it sits low in the southern sky. That low sun reaches deep into south-facing rooms around midday.

The warm part of the day is short. These two habits help you catch it and keep it.

Habit 1: Why close them at dusk, not at bedtime?

The glass starts losing heat as soon as the sun goes down. Wait until 10 p.m. and you've had more than five hours of cold, open glass. Close the shades when the lamps go on instead.

A few tips make it stick:

Start with the rooms you sit in after dark. The living room and kitchen first, then bedrooms.
Lower the shade all the way. A shade stopped partway leaves cold glass exposed at the bottom.
Use a schedule if you forget. Motorized cellular shades can lower themselves at sunset every day.

Habit 2: Why open them wide at noon?

Winter sun is free heat. On a clear day, open your south and west shades fully from late morning to midafternoon. Pull them all the way up so the stack clears the glass.

Then close them again before the sun drops behind the houses across the street. In early December, that can be well before 4 p.m.

On cloudy days, there's little sun to catch. Leave the shades down longer to hold heat. Light-filtering cellular fabric still lets soft daylight in.

Should you add thermal curtains over cellular shades?

On most windows you won't need them. A cellular shade that fits well already holds a layer of still air at the glass. Slatted blinds can't do that, since air slips through the gaps. Curtains earn their spot on the biggest and coldest glass.

Window	Cellular shade alone	Add thermal curtains?
Bedroom or office window	Usually enough	Only if the room still feels cold
Older, drafty window	A double-cell shade helps most	Yes, for the coldest nights
Great room wall of glass	Holds heat once it's down	Worth it, with panels that close over the shade
Patio slider	Pick a style made for wide doors	Yes, on a rod that clears the door

If you add curtains, keep the two habits. Hang the rod wide so the panels stack off the glass at noon. Then close the curtains and the shade together at dusk. Insulated window shades do the daily work. The curtains are your backup when it's below zero.

Does a Chaska home need anything different?

Chaska has a long building story. Its brick making began in 1857. Local yards made 40 million cream-colored Chaska bricks in 1910 alone, says the Carver County Historical Society. The old clay pits are now part of the downtown parks. The town is also home to the 1,200-acre Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, part of the University of Minnesota.

You'll find older homes near the historic downtown and newer streets farther out. Older windows may feel draftier, so double-cell shades make sense there. Newer homes often have big great room glass. That's where closing at dusk matters most.

Want to compare by direction? See how Burnsville rooms compare in winter light. Our cellular shades page shows the fabrics and cell sizes.

Which Chaska windows should you fix first?

Try the two habits for one week with what you have. Notice which rooms still feel cold at night. Those are the windows to fix first. When you're ready, our team can bring cellular shades for Burnsville and Chaska homes to you. You can compare fabrics in your own light. Our south metro team is part of a family-owned, independently run franchise. Book your free consultation.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving the Southern Twin Cities.