Curtains are known to be elements of home décor the world over.
Wait, have you ever thought that one of the most important roles of curtains is keeping the room’s temperature checked?
Your windows are the primary heat loss and gain point in your house.
So, Will Curtains Make A Room Warmer?
Of course yes. Curtains are barriers to heat loss. They prevent cold air from making its way into the room. Besides, they also maintain the room’s warmth by preventing heat from escaping out of the room.
Keep reading this article to understand how curtains help to make the room warmer and other great tips.
How Much Do Curtains Help With Your Bills?
Energy bills can drain you a lot of cash.
The need to keep rooms warmer during the Winter calls for wise hacks on how to retain heat.
So, if you are looking to save a lot of your money, you need to make your windows upgrade a priority.
Windows and doors are the primary pathways through which heat is lost in homes.
Using appropriate curtains to bar heat escape is one of the easiest and most practical ways to achieve that goal.
How Do Window Curtains Help With Heat Retention?
Window curtains are good for maintaining the room’s temperature for obvious reasons.
They block potential heat escape from the room thus keeping the rooms warmer.
In the same way, the bar cold air from getting into the room and making it colder.
Even if you have double-glassed windows installed in your home, there are still many chances of heat escape.
A heavy set of curtains forms a formidable barrier that bars the circulation of heat in your rooms.
What About Letting In Natural Light?
Windows are designed to allow a perfect flow of natural light into the room.
If you are planning on installing heavy curtains, you might be having a lot of concerns about lighting your room.
Well, you have every right to worry.
In as much as we are concerned with barring heat from escaping out of the room, it is equally important to factor in the issue of lights.
You should also note that during the daytime; both light and heat from the sun get into your room through the window.
A balance must therefore be created when using curtains to retain heat.
All you have to do to bring this balance is to open your window and allow light and heat in on a sunny day.
And when the weather changes and there is cold, you can close them and lower your curtains.
Only raise your curtains on those windows facing the sun.
Which Curtains Are The Best For Heat Retention?
Window curtains reduce heat loss by up to 18%.
The market is flooded with curtains that maximize retention of heat.
Often, they come in pairs like the normal curtains used in most homes.
The basic rule of the thumb is the thicker the curtain the better the ability to retain heat. Special curtains have been designed to reflect heat into the room and enhance better heat retention.
Window curtains and drapes often go together. While most curtains are designed only to fit the size of the window, drapes run down to the floor.
Whether it is a curtain or a drape, their ability to retain heat in the room depends on a myriad of factors.
- First, the fabric material used to design the curtains has a lot to do with their ability to reduce heat loss.
- The color of the curtain also affects heat retention. Some curtains are designed to have brightly colored parts to reflect heat in the room.
- For draperies, those with white-plastic backings have a high potential of reducing heat gain even up to 30%.
Operation of Window Coverings to Combat Heat Loss
Curtains are the most operable window coverings. More than 50% of residential window curtains and coverings are not adjusted all day.
If you are in this category, perhaps it is time to adjust your habits and save a lot on your bills.
You should be strategic on what times to raise and lower your window curtains.
It all depends on the season of the year.
Winter
If some days will sunny during winter mornings, then it is best to open the curtains in the mornings. It fills your room with natural light and energy.
Once it gets snowy and extremely cold during the afternoons and evenings, you respond by closing them to retain the heat that was fetched during the day.
Summer
On the contrary, the summer heat can be a cause of discomfort due to heightened temperatures.
You will be forced to close the curtains to block heat from streaming into the room.
But you want to receive natural sunlight at the same time. So, the best you can do is to open only those window curtains that do not directly face the sun.
You need to keep switching them as the sun goes down.
There are window coverings that are automatic and can switch appropriately as the sun runs across the sky.
Additional Winter Tips
- All window curtains and drapes should be closed during the nights of winter. It helps to boost the thermal comforts in the room.
- Also, make sure that they hang close to the window as much as possible. You can hang them as close to the ceiling as possible for optimum effectiveness.
- It is also a good idea to seal them at the sides. You can overlap the drape in the center for optimum heat retention.
- A magnetic tape or Velcro can be used to fasten the draperies against the walls. This is to make sure that there are no leaks and pathways that can let in cold air or allow heat to escape from the room.
- During extreme cold weather, some folks can even hang two layers of curtains on the windows and doors.
Four Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Curtains to Retain Heat
The effectiveness of window curtains to retain heat in the room depends on:
1. Orientation Of The Home
How the room is designed and oriented has everything o do with curtains efficiency to retain heat in your home.
If the building is oriented in the direction of cold breeze, the curtains may not be too strong to block entry of cold air into the room.
In such circumstances, you might want to have thicker curtains.
2. The Size Of The Window
A large window will have a high potential of letting heat escape from the building.
If you have plans to build in cold climatic regions, it is a good idea to maintain the sizes of the windows on average.
We understand you want a lot of light in the room. Just rate everything so that no area is compromised.
3. The Climate Of The Area
If you are living in colder climatic zones, you need to consider the type of curtains you will install for your rooms. Some curtains can shield your home perfectly well. Find and install them
4. Window Orientation And Whether It Has An Interior Insulation
The placement of the windows in your rooms affects how a curtain can retain heat and make the room warm.
If it is in the direction of the breeze, then you should expect a compromise in its ability to retain heat.
Final Words
Window curtains play an integral role in maintaining the appropriate temperatures in your rooms.
As such, their placement and type should never be taken for granted.
Select the best type of curtains that will help keep your rooms warm.
The climatic zone and weather conditions are two external factors affecting the type of curtain you will choose for optimum heat retention in your rooms.
Related
Should You Get Closet Curtains?
Should You Have Curtains In Every Room?
References
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/energy-efficient-window-coverings
https://www.windowsonlineuk.co.uk/blog/much-curtains-help-heat-retention/