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Do Thermal Drapes Work?

The outside walls of modern homes are filled with insulating material to increase relaxation and maximize the efficiency of heat and cooling system. Single and even dual-pane windows common to most families have a lower resistance to thermal motion. But scientific information illustrates that properly positioned thermal drapes will help keep your home warmer over winter nights and cooler during hot summer days.

Thermal Imaging

Through a power audit, infrared cameras show a striking temperature gap between the walls of your home and undraped windows. Thermal imaging proves that even ordinary curtains can help cut the heat reduction from your windows, and thermal drapes perform measurably much better. Most hardware stores and home centers permit you to rent a professional grade thermal video camera or electronic thermometer so that you may perform your own energy audit.

Thermal Drape Design

A thermal drape also needs to add beauty to a home’s decor, but it is what’s within the curtains that count. A straightforward two-layer curtain — not a real thermal drape — is composed of this decorative fabric that faces into the room, backed by a coated fabric facing the glass. A three-layer curtain features a middle layer of insulating cotton or silicon batting that adds mass to the drape and reduces light transfer and insulates against exterior traffic sound. High-quality fully insulated thermal drapes contain a fourth layer, a steam barrier to avoid the motion of moisture into the room from window condensation.

Thermal Drape Fitting

For thermal drapes to be effective, they have to fit snugly across the window — left, right, bottom and top. Permit the drapes to get the walls along with the windowsills or move all of the way to the ground Fresno — and to get maximum efficiency — install a pelmet or cornice over the drape hardware to prevent air flowing down at the surface of the window. During winter, keep the drapes open in daytime hours to permit sunlight in and permit the inflow of heat in prying heated window glass. Completing the drapes following dark minimizes the transfer of indoor warmth to the chilly outdoors.

Thermal Drape Effectiveness

While properly installed thermal drapes are effective at lowering heating Sacramento repair specialists and heating Sacramento repair specialists expenses, it’s difficult to predict just how much energy you can expect to save. Construction insulation is quantified by its R-value — that explains a material’s resistance to heat flow. The best thermal drapes can raise a dual-pane window’s powerful R-value rating to up to 4.0 or higher, depending on the layers at the drape and the installation while at the same time blocking any air leaks that create unpleasant drafts.