Curtains for energy efficiency?

Nanako

My partner moved into his current home a year ago. It had, and still has, no curtains at all, and no rails or poles for them either. Simply bare (double glazed) windows

So with no existing installation, i figure we can do a fresh start on this subject.

It's the dead of winter right now, the weather is cold, and curtains are surely a way of helping to keep a house warm, and reduce heat loss through the windows. But which ones?

What kind of method of hanging is best for curtains? How much should they extend past the sides, top and bottom of the window? Is it best to pin them to the wall somehow to reduce air gaps?

The house has a total of seven windows of greatly varying sizes, its an upper floor apartment

I'm looking for general advice, and specific recommendations of products, to help us set up a nice warm curtain arrangement. Looks are secondary

Alnat1

Our living room has a bay with French doors and 4 waist height windows.

We have thick lined eyelet curtains (90 x 90) hung  on a pole across the end of the main part of the room, so the whole bay is blocked off. The curtains sit on the carpet and extend about a foot either side of the gap. I've also added thermal linings which attach to the pole with the curtains.

During that cold spell in early December I checked the temperature in the bay. It was 11C while the heated main part of the room was 18C.

I thought this might be a good example of what a difference curtains can achieve.

Nanako

Alnat1 said:

Our living room has a bay with French doors and 4 waist height windows.

We have thick lined eyelet curtains (90 x 90) hung  on a pole across the end of the main part of the room, so the whole bay is blocked off. The curtains sit on the carpet and extend about a foot either side of the gap. I've also added thermal linings which attach to the pole with the curtains.

During that cold spell in early December I checked the temperature in the bay. It was 11C while the heated main part of the room was 18C.

I thought this might be a good example of what a difference curtains can achieve.

that IS a really great example, thank you! I'm kind of excited at how much of an effect that is

You mention thick lined curtains, what are they made of, or lined with ? and these thermal linings too i'm curious about. Can you perhaps link something similar to what you have?

MultiFuelBurner

Dunelm and search for thermal curtains, read the reviews and get the poles at the same time. They have a sale on and we have found them good value for money.

The temperature behind our large French door and extended glass panels in the main living room and noticably colder as in the furniture side will be 22oC and the other side next to the windows I would Hazzard a guess without measuring 14oC

YBR

You've got options of curtains and various sorts of blinds. And for each of those there's variety that means they may be more insulating, or just shut out prying eyes. 

Curtains with thick fabric and lining will be best for warmth, hang them to overlap at top and edges. If the radiators are under the window you need to avoid heat going up behind them instead of into the room, sometimes precisely window-sill length works, otherwise the length between sill & radiator. You'll need the right type of rail or pole for the curtains, which you'll see on the Dunelm website (as that was mentioned above).

I have some windows that get bright direct sunshine at certain times, for which roller blinds help because they close horizontally. I've mounted these within the depth of the window alcove, with curtains just outside. They have some effect on warmth, but (on their own) not as much as good curtains.

Thirdly, I've inherited some wooden horizontal blinds in one room we use as an office. I don't think they do much to keep heat in, just collect dust. I'm not a fan of slatted blinds for homes.

powerspowers

Another vote for thermal curtains from dunelm 

Emmia

I added thermal lining curtains (loose liners) to our full length unlined IKEA curtains last year, they've worked really well to improve warmth and block leaks (there is a noticeable blast of cold air when I pull back the curtains in the morning!

They also help to keep the room cool if they're drawn in the summer before it gets hot. 

What I would say is that curtains are heavy, so make sure the pole is solid. I'd also avoid those extending poles, as you end up with a lump/dip which can be really annoying when you draw the curtains as it can catch.

One of the best things I did in the pandemic, was replacing the cheap, slightly sagging extending pole left by the previous owners with a made to measure pole from Jim Lawrence. It was expensive but so worth it (drawing the curtains is also much quieter for some reason).

EssexHebridean

We've got a thermal curtain on our front door - another Dunelm one in fact - and it does indeed work very well. Our bay window has the curtains the previous owners left - nice heavy ones and once they are drawn we tuck them behind the radiator to ensure the heat comes into the room not up behind them, that window also has blinds and we weren't worrying about closing those until the last week or so when we tried closing those when pulling the curtains to see if it made a difference - it definitely did, the room warmed up far faster . 

When fixing curtain poles, a lot of people suggest fixing a batten to the wall first and fixing the pole to that rather than directly in to the wall as it is seemingly less likely for the screws to pull out, then. Extending poles can indeed be irritating because of the catchy bit in the middle, but you do get used to it, and certainly in our case it was the only practical option as getting made to measure poles for all the windows was just going to prove too expensive! 

As for linings - a cheap, easy fix is to sew curtain hooks on to cheap fleece blankets and then hook those onto the header tape at the back of a standard pencil please curtain - it's budget friendly and the difference it makes is incredible. You can get the cheap fleeces at Dunelm and similar places. 

Think also about simple roller blinds for rooms where curtains aren't appropriate (kitchens and bathrooms) - you can get those in thermal versions too, although we've always found that the standard blackout ones work pretty much as well. 

Alnat1

My curtains were from Dunelm too "Chenille Geo Peacock Eyelet Curtains"

Also bought the thermal linings from there "Thermal Eyelet Curtain Linings" 

Read the reviews, they appear honest and will add to the description, often giving details of how well made they are (Dunelm appear to have a few poorly made ones)

I tend to choose plainer curtains or vertical stripes, rather than ones with a big repeating pattern. I hate to get a "pair" of curtains where one side has the pattern higher/lower than the other but maybe I'm a bit OCD 

mmmmikey

Another vote for Dunelm here - partly because I used to work for them and when I retired due to ill health they were very supportive and paid me far more than they were required to. As an employer, they were a model of good practice and I can't speak highly enough of them. And as others have said, great curtains :-)

Something you may want to consider when you're buying curtains or blinds is electric openers. Sounds like a gimmick for lazy people, but I've found them a godsend in the summer months. The curtains and blinds close automatically when the room heats up, which is an excellent way of regulating the temperature. Also good for security as the curtains can be set to open at sunrise and close at sunset when you're not in, making the house look occupied. I use SwitchBot openers which you can get either from their website or off Amazon. They regularly appear in Prime day sales and the like at 25% or so off.

RelievedSheff

Our house is really very warm so we rarely close the curtains other then the bedroom ones when we go to bed.

Might draw them tonight and see if it makes a difference!