How to make your home more energy efficient

There's lots of effective ways to help prevent heat loss in your home, from insulating your loft, installing cavity wall insulation or fitting your chimney with a specially designed draught excluder. But these solutions can be costly, and might not give you the best value for money.

A really easy way to keep that precious warmth inside your room where it belongs is to choose a window dressing that'll help reduce draughts and air leakage. The extra layer acts as a thermal barrier at your windows and doors, slowing down the transfer of heat between the warm indoor air and the cool air outside.

We've got plenty of thermal solutions that’ll help, and stop you reaching for the thermostat. They'll give your home a stylish lift too. Let's see how you can transform your space into a warm and cosy haven.

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. A smart choice is a Roman blind. They offer the simplicity of a Roller blind but with the warmth and versatility of soft fabrics. All our Roman blinds are lined as standard, but for maximum heat retention choose a performance lining. The extra layer at your window will help keep things warm and cosy, reducing heat loss by 21%.

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.

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. 

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.

If you've a radiator fitted under a window, open the curtains while the blind is closed to keep cooler air out without blocking the heat gain from your radiator.

And 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.

Floor to ceiling glazing and roof lights are a key trend in home extensions, and of course, conservatories. But while looking great, it can be difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature in these rooms where lots of windows lose heat quickly.

Go for ThermaShade blinds for the side windows and roof blinds from our SolarPleat fabric range to actively reflect heat. So when it’s hot, you stay cool and when it’s cooler, you stay toasty.