The arrival of colder weather means escalating winter fuel bills. Here’s how investing in close-fitting thermally lined blinds and curtains can cut your heating bills and keep you warm and cosy this winter.
One of the very best ways to reduce your winter heating bills is to invest in thermally interlined blinds and curtains to insulate your windows and reduce draughts – keeping the warm air in and the cold air out. The latest research suggests that fitting a combination of close-fitting bespoke blinds and thermal curtains can reduce heating bills by as much as 30 per cent!
We can make curtains or blinds with secretly hidden thermal interlining. You don’t see it and it does a cracking job of keeping you more toasty, by encapsulating another layer of air in between the layers of fabric, to keep in the warmth. It’s like wrapping yourself up in a blanket – so why not do the same for your windows?
What is interlining?
This term can be confusing, as many customers correctly think that their curtains are already lined… but are they thermally inter-lined?
Interlining is basically a blanket! You never get to see our interlining – we secretly stitch it in between the main fabric and the lining of your curtains, providing more warmth (it has great thermal properties!) and a thicker, more plush appearance to your curtains.
It looks great hiding behind the scenes when you use linen or linen mix fabrics as your main fabric. Interlining is designed to help improve the drape of the curtains. More of its secret talents are to improve sound insulation levels and using it creates a fuller look with rounder, softer edges and deeper folds.
When you interline curtains, you do add a little bulk to them, so simple headings work best. We use a high-quality heavy cotton interlining.
How can curtains cut your heating bills?
We’ve investigated how much using thermal interlining actually affects how much heat you lose through your windows – and there’s not a whole load of UK-specific research available.
Academics at the University of Salford are currently conducting research into the effectiveness of curtains and blinds at the Salford Energy House and their early findings seem to indicate that close-fitting blinds – particularly when fitted over windows located directly above radiators – can help reduce heat loss quite significantly. The key take-away here is that bespoke blinds, which fit the windows snugly and don’t overlap the radiators, are one of the best ways to reduce heat loss, by creating an insulated barrier that keeps the warm air in and the cold air out.
American research from various universities looked into older houses and houses that do not have double-glazing or draughty windows and through tests. This research concluded adding and drawing close-fitting thermally interlined curtains or blinds at night in the colder months could save you between 25 – 30 per cent on your heating bills.
The enhanced thermal properties of closing your curtains every evening, has been proven to help reduce heating bills and according to Friends of the Earth :
“The heavier the curtains or blind, generally speaking, the more effective it is at preventing heat exchange between the cold air around the window and the warm air in the rest of the room.”
We can even use our magic to add interlining to upcycle your existing curtains, if you don’t want new ones, to keep you warm and cosy without the expense of forking out for new fabric – great for the environment in more ways than one! And patio doors – did I mention patio doors? These can be a significant source of heat loss, so get some interlined curtains up there before the weather gets colder again!
Draught excluders
Using a draught excluder may seem a bit old fashioned, but they can make a big difference to your heating bills by simply tucking into the gap between the front (or back) door and the outside world. We spent many happy hours developing our range last year and it proved very popular, so we’re back on the case again to help you stay warm and toasty this winter.
Practical and hard-wearing, our simple design makes it a perfect complement to any home. We offer standard size in your own fabric, or we can make longer excluders for larger doors, patio doors or for conservatories. Finished with a faux leather tag; they are a perfect cost-effective solution to helping keep those big heating bills at bay.
Alternatively, we’ve whipped up some rather lush ones that are available to buy in the workshop, in the most gorgeous velvets at £35 each.
High quality thermally interlined curtains may cost a little more, but by cutting your fuel bills, over the next few years, they will virtually pay for themselves! If you want to explore how to cut your winter fuel bills and stay warm and toasty this winter, pop in to see us or drop us a line, using our Get in Touch page.
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