Thermal Window Coverings

[Bug_out_Bag]

Last year I made some thermal curtains for a small window in a spare room created from a couple of brightly coloured, baby's fleece blankets with two layers of emergency, (Mylar), space blanket as lining. They were knocked up in a hurry but they proved to be highly effective if not that elegant. I'm now just about to start making thermal linings for some black out roller blinds in several rooms and have been looking around the web for some ideas and found this interesting company tha t makes thermal Roman blinds which consist of:

"...five layers ...

1. Room side fabric – 100% polyester with blackout surface
2. 12mic Aluminised Mylar (space blanket)
3. 7mm Thinsulate (‘Clo’ value of circa 1.1)
4. 12mic Aluminised Mylar
5. 110g cotton sateen lining fabric

The inner layers incorporate a 7mm Thinsulate core (a highly insulating thermal fleece, normally used for clothing), with two layers of aluminium faced Mylar (‘space blanket’ material as developed by NASA) either side of the core."

Thinsulate is about a fiver a meter and so I'm going to order some and copy their idea. I could of course buy them ready made at around £150 per square meter from these peeps:

http://thermalblind.co.uk

but I think I prefer to make them and buy a few more rounds, tins and things!

Has anyone else had a go at making something like these?

[Skean Dhude]

I can understand the blackout component for a house but I can't see the advantage of the mylar part. I guess due to the title it is to hide your hear signature. However unless your house is completely protected it seems pointless to just protect the windows as after an event heat will show your house to be occupied from other areas.

Seems to me to have a very narrow requirement and we would be much better off making our own with several different materials.

[Mortblanc]

I believe the original intent was insulation, not escape and evasion.

My home does not have modern double pane glass and I am forced to seal the windows with plastic and cover them with tapestries every winter.

Doors also get attention, since they are a big part of the heat loss at my place.

Last year I used mylar "space blankets" as part of the process and saw a difference in efficiency.

This year I intend to use a better grade of foil insulation that incorporates a dead air space between layers.

[Bug_out_Bag]

Yep, SD, the intention is to insulate as MB points out. The idea being to save fuel by saving heat! Mylar reflects heat back into a room and on the other side, cold back out the window with the Thinsulate section trapping the heat ... well that's the idea any way!

I found some very cheap, on sale at half price at The Range, thermal, insulated camping mats today which are foam with Mylar bonded in a waffle like construction on one side. I have bought a few of these to cut to size and just fit over some windows. I already have film on my windows so from outside there looks to be no change to the inside of the windows.

Sounds like you got your insulation all done and dusted MB

[Mortblanc]

After last years stable -20 temps and the anticipartion that this year will be just as cold (where's the global warming gone?) I have gotten ahead of the game this year.

In one back storage room, away from the street, I installed mylar film directly to the window, cut foam insulation to fit the sash, and then covered the opening with plywood.

I have also done a lot of work insulating the area underneath the house.

[Skean Dhude]

Ah. OK. I still believe my comment stands though. It would still be cheaper to put several curtains on.

1) Using mylar blanket type sheets for heat insulation.
2) Thick sheets to also for light insulation.
3) Layer as required.

[MaryN]

Quite a few of our curtains have got the ordinary thermal linings. They're pretty effective. I have found that not having radiators under the windows is also more efficient - no heat shooting out through the glass. Most of our radiators are in the centre of the house and they radiate heat throughout the rooms.

[NorthernRaider]

Reflective foil behind the radiators mounted on external walls will reflect much of the heat back into the room.

[CharlesHarris]

All good comments. My situation is similar to Mortblanc's and I have taken similar measures. House was originally a seasonal summer cottage which was closed up for the winter. It was originally built in 1976.

When reroofing I installed R50 fiberglas batting in the attic, and blew foam in the walls between the studs, plywood siding and interior wallboard. Sliding glass doors were walled in and insulated hollow-core steel doors hung, and a double-hung, double-pane window placed in the former opening, with the areaunder the window and around the door insulated to R25, and bookshelves built against the interior side of the newly walled-in area. Getting rid of three sliding glass patio doors not only inproved security, but also makes the place entirely livable in winter. Woodstove on lower level keeps house cozy in all but sub-zero weather.