insulated curtains........

[maddymama]

Hi Mamas,

DH and I are thinking of getting insulated/thermal curtains for our home, but we don't know anything about them.  Are the more expensive thermal curtains better?  Do they insulate the home that much better? Any recommendations for brands to get?

I am not crafty enough to sew a curtain backing to curtains (and actually we don't have curtains up in the house yet...).... nor do we own any for these windows.  It's a whole wall/bank of windows on the west/north wall of our house that is the big concern.  It definitely is getting drafty the colder it is getting.  It's beautiful and let's in a ton of light, but DH and I think we could save some $ on our electricity bills if we get some of these curtains.

http://www.plowhearth.com/Grommet-Top-Insulated-Curtains_p6621_S2002_D3084_C3107.html are the ones that caught my eye.

Thanks!

~maddymama  

[_ktg_]

I got mine at Target for like 10/panel which fits most standard windows.  They are not the prettiest curtains in the whole wide world, but they do a great job in blocking out the drafts.  I have 2 huge picture windows (one facing east, the other west) and they work well in both winter for drafts, but also in summer in keeping our house cooler by knocking back the sun.

I will say though - I am considering attaching some velcro on the edges of mine so I can put a thicker felt backer on for winter which I think even if I spent a lot of $$ I would be able to find in another curtain.

[maddymama]

_ktg_

Thanks for yor information... it's  very helpful.

I was browsing on the web today, and I found

transparent thermal window films and they look perfect... so you can still see the sunlight, but get to block the drafts and the heat in the summer.

Anyone use these in your house? 

~maddymama

[Think of Winter]

Dh usually puts up plastic on a big slider and some windows.  It's a bit of a pain to install, and it's tough to get the tape residue off when you take the plastic off (make sure you pull off the tape as soon as you take the plastic down.), but it really blocks drafts.  This year I'm planning to make little draft blockers for each window sill out of scrap fabric.  My neighbors just use rolled up towels. 

I also have a few sets of insulated curtains.  They help, but they need to go to the floor to really work well, then they get dirty quicker.  The sets I bought aren't washable, so even when I hand washed them and hung them on the line, they shrunk enough to not reach the floor any more.  If you want curtains anyway, I'd consider them, but they're pricey and you'll have more maintenance.  They do work very well for blocking off a large doorway if you're trying to heat only part of your home.

ETA:  RE draft blockers, I was making draft blockers w/ removable covers, and realized that I might get good results using just  a single thick layer of felted wool.  Way easier to cut rectangles than to sew and fill a pillow, then make a cover for it.  I can get 3 windows out of a single felted sweater.  I think they work pretty well.   I started with really thick felt.

Edited by Think of Winter - 12/15/10 at 11:55am