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Zaha Forest curtains

Make your home more energy efficient

Windows are responsible for up to 20% of a home's heat loss. Learn how to insulate your windows with our most effective blinds, curtains and shutters.

Tara Hall

by Tara Hall

Product Innovations Expert

Published: 20/11/2013

Updated: 07/09/2022

By choosing thermally effective window dressings that help reduce heat loss and stop draughts, you’ll help keep your home warmer without having to turn the dial up so far on your heating.

Here, we talk you through our best products for helping improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Do shutters help keep rooms warm?

Shutters are an excellent way to insulate windows and improve energy efficiency in your home. With a wooden barrier at your window, shutting them on cold evenings will keep chills out and the warmth in. In fact, it has been shown that when closed, shutters can reduce heat loss through a window by more than 50%. 

Shutters are flexible too, giving you the option to keep the frames closed and keep the draughts at bay, but still allowing light in by positioning the slats (louvres) to suit you. 

Improving your window dressings can make a big impact on your heating bills and your carbon emissions.  Help save money, help save the planet, it’s a win-win.

How can Thermal blinds help you save energy?

There is a smart and innovative product in our Pleated blinds range. It’s called a Thermashade™ blind. It features two special layers of fabric which together form a honeycomb shape. This honeycomb pocket traps air and creates a barrier between your warm room and the cold window to keep the heat in. 

Thermashade™ Pleated blinds, also known as Thermal blinds, are suitable for all rooms in the house but are particularly effective in conservatories and garden rooms, which get very cold in the winter months. Heating these spaces is costly, but Thermashade™ blinds will help keep the heat in your living space for longer. They’re flexible too. Thermashade™ blinds can be fitted into Perfect Fit frames to give a neat, streamlined finish.  

You could also consider a Transition™ blind which is made of two different fabrics, giving you two blinds in one.

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How do blinds help reduce heat loss?

When fitted properly, a closed blind will fit snugly at your window, stopping draughts entering the room and providing an insulating layer of warm air trapped between the fabric and glazing.

This means made-to-measure blinds are a really effective solution, but of course some perform better than others. A smart choice is a Roman blind. They offer the simplicity of a Roller blind but with the warmth and versatility of soft furnishing fabrics.

All our Roman blinds are lined as standard, but for maximum heat retention choose a blackout lining. This extra layer at the window will help keep things warm and cosy.

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How do curtains help keep heat in?

Curtains also help to keep a room warmer. Like our Roman blinds, all of our curtains and lined as standard, but for added cosiness go a step further with a thermal lining. Products with a thermal lining have an additional sateen twill layer that not only reduces heat loss through your windows but gives your curtains a thicker, luxurious look too. 

For bedrooms where you want additional light control as well as warmth, you could think about teaming thermal curtains with blackout blinds. You'll notice the difference to the temperature in your home, allowing you to turn down the thermostat to save on energy consumption. 

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How does layering help to insulate windows?

Another great way to manage heat loss is to layer curtains over blinds or shutters. You’ll not only benefit from the additional insulation, but a luxurious finishing look too. Blend different textures, colours, patterns and plains for a finish that’s as cosy as it is stylish.

For rooms where you want additional light control as well as warmth, team thermal curtains with blackout blinds. They're a great way to minimise light levels in your bedroom to create a restful environment for sleep.

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Discover more energy saving solutions

Find out more about how made-to-measure window dressings can help you keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.