About Insulating Draperies

Covering draperies can pull the feel of a room together with color, depth, or illusion. Drapes serve as insulators to cold, heat, light, privacy and even sound, few adornments serve so well.

Choosing thermal draperies for insulation is popular in temperate winter zones or very cold areas. Although, insulated panels have been around a long time they have gone in and out of vogue. With the development and improvements of energy-saving glass and casements for windows, thermal drapes dipped out of popularity for a while. All windows and even energy friendly ones tend to be a major source of drafts in homes causing heating and cooling bills to rise. Draft prohibiting drapes can be helpful to control that energy expenditure.

Draperies to deter air leaks are a good choice if window replacements are not in the budget. Drapes and curtains are affordable for nearly every budget, thanks to a variety of fabrics and thermal backings. Common insulation backings are rubber polymer, an acrylic suede lining or cotton-flocked acrylic foam. Another thermal technique is layering draperies or linings, which functions like layering clothes. Each layer creates air pockets warmed by your body heat and trapped by the layer above.

Concerns about hanging insulating drapes are heaviness, darkness, and laundering. True thermal curtains are sometimes heavy and require strong well-anchored mountings and rods plus holding and hanging assistance. Thermal drapes do cause diminished light, so close them during peak sun hours. Laundering is of concern if the fabric or backing is not washable for which a spin in the dryer on the air no heat cycle saves few dry-cleaner trips. The draped cozy ambiance created on a cold winter night offset the nuisances.