Draperies are the perfect way to add personal style and beauty to your interior design, and when you use insulated curtains in the cooler weather, they can help you save energy. Insulated curtains are sophisticated, energy efficient window coverings that help save money while enhancing the appearance and comfort of your home. If you haven’t already invested in insulated curtains or need to pull them out of storage for cleaning, now is the time so you can have them up in time to stay warm during the cold months ahead.
Composition of Insulated Curtains
Although they may look like just heavier, lined window coverings, insulated curtains are energy-efficient systems that contain four separate layers that block light, dampen noise and inhibit heat loss. The four layers consist of:
- Core layer – High-density foam insulating windows from exchange of sound and heat
- Vapor barrier– Blocks the foam from absorbing moisture
- Reflective film layer – Deflects heat back into the room, preventing heat loss
- Outer layer – Decorative fabric that coordinates with and complements the room’s interior design
Insulated window coverings include curtains, Roman shades, side-draw shades and hobbled shades often receive integration into valances, draperies, and even shutters. Insulated curtains are easy to customize, as the decorative outer layer can be any fabric you want.
Saving Energy with Insulated Curtains
The windows in your home allow sunlight in while keeping noise and odors outside, but they can also leak heated and cooled air outside and allow heat loss and gain that affects the inside temperatures of your home. That exchange of air can make it difficult to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, which is where insulated curtains can help. Insulated curtains aid in protecting your home from the four main types of heat loss that happen around and through your windows. The types of heat loss are:
- Conduction
- Convection
- Infiltration
- Radiation
By protecting your home from those forms of heat loss, insulated curtains prevent the heat from leaving or entering your home when you don’t want it to, which is especially nice in winter when you’re trying to stay warm. Insulated curtains also help in warmer weather because it’s harder for the cooled air to escape or heat up through your windows. As bonus, insulated curtains dampen outside noise and can be dark enough to prevent light from entering a room, which gives you privacy and makes it easier to sleep at night or even nap during the day.
Ease Strain on Heating and Cooling Systems
By installing insulated curtains, you can set your furnace back a bit during colder months and reduce your air conditioning usage during the warmer months. To warm the inside of your home further during the winter, you can leave the curtain open during the day to allow the sunlight to warm the interior and then close them after sunset to hold that heat for a while. The same process works in reverse during the summer.
Insulated Curtains vs. Energy-Efficient Windows
Energy-efficient windows are effective at preventing some heat transfer while saving energy, but they can be expensive to install. Insulated curtains cost a fraction of the price of new windows, are stylish, practical, and add beauty to a room while increasing energy efficiency. Many insulated curtains of high quality can produce an R-rating (rating system used by the federal government to indicate energy efficiency) that’s equivalent to or better than energy-efficient windows.
Maintaining Insulated Curtains
Cleaning and maintain insulated curtains requires a bit more effort than regular curtains as you have to open them occasionally to prevent moisture build-up inside their multiple layers. While some insulated curtains may be machine washable, it’s best to have them professionally dry cleaned in a process that doesn’t immerse them. You also need to vacuum them between cleanings to reduce dust and keep them looking their best.
As you prepare for the colder months, you can trust the cleaning of your insulated curtains and draperies to Embassy Cleaners. Our professional cleaning helps ensure your window coverings keep their beauty and shape for years to come.
