How to dress a window to stay warm? I need help!

[robinwatcher]

I live in a house with old draughty windows that won't replace any time soon.

The bedroom windows have plastic Venetian blinds that don't fit properly and are just terrible letting in lots of light.

I will replace the blinds but I just can't decide what would be the best thing to do. I want a blackout effect and to add some thermal efficiency as it's pretty cold! The windows have the radiators underneath.

Options:

• roll out thermal blinds- are they good at stopping the cold getting in? It is better to have them in the recess or outside the recess?
• thermal curtains- I would like to have curtains too but having the radiators there... would they absorb/block all the heat?

What would be the best eco-decision?

It's been months and months of indecision, I really need to do something now but I am clueless. Help please!!

Do both if you can afford it.
In my daughters room we have a blackout roller blind in the recess, then lined curtains that finish above the radiator. I can definitely feel a temperature difference in the air behind the blind when I open them in a morning.

My mum always used to tuck the bottom of the curtains behind the radiator so that the heat couldn’t escape behind the curtain.

We have both throughout our house.
Blinds look tidier in the recess but light can creep around the edges, might block more light if they were on the outside.
Thermal curtains are a lot more lightweight and affordable than they used to be. But I do have the concern that when closed, all the heat from the radiator just warms the window up. So I tend to go around around tucking the curtains behind the radiators so it reflects back into the room. I annoy DH doing this 😋

Don't overthink it OP.

Either have curtains that stop before the radiator or just tuck them behind the radiator like most people do.

You can get curtains cheap enough these days that if you don't like the ones you put up, you can get other ones.

www.housebeautiful.com/uk/renovate/heating/a131/cheap-draught-proofing-ideas/

‘Making windows and doors airtight is an important way of warming up your home and it's particularly necessary if you've got single glazing. An insulation tape such as Stormguard Self-Adhesive Foam (£3.99 for 15m, Amazon) is a great way to reinforce already airtight windows or seal gaps in less efficient ones. It simply sticks to the frame and expands slightly to fill any spaces. With very little cost and effort you should see a difference immediately – it even helps with soundproofing.’

What I also sometimes do is have the blinds shut and the curtains pulled to the radiator IYSWIM. This obviously only works if your radiators aren't the same width as the window (mine aren't).

There was a fashion for using cling film as a type of double glazing.

I had thermal curtains installed by Hilarys. I'm not suggesting using them as I know there are cheaper options but I didn't want the faff of measuring it myself and getting it wrong. I'm time short generally so having someone attend and do it all works for me.
I had curtains to installed to front room and back patio doors plus a thermal roman blind to the kitchen.

They will be back in a few weeks to install to four bedrooms.

I would get thermal or blackout lined Roman blinds from Blinds Direct or Blinds 2 Go. You can send for sample fabrics. That will mean the radiators can let out the heat. Also cover some cardboard in tin foil and slide behind the radiators to reflect heat out into the room.

Can you afford that secondary glazing? It isn't that expensive. You could even find somewhere locally that will supply and cut perspex and make your own. That will make a significant difference.

Thank you everyone!

It does help to learn more about what others are doing, it's just quite a bit of money and I want to get it right first time because I know I won't touch them in years... if not decades

It looks like a combination of both blinds and curtains that you can tuck on the recess/behind the radiator is the way to go :D

Was agonising over the advise to go for long curtains to make the room more aesthetic but honestly it's cold 6 months a year so...

Never even considered secondary glazing. I'll check it out to.

To save the expense, why don't you try the blind option first and if it's still chilly get the curtains as a back up? You may be pleasantly surprised about the difference the blinds will make.

Both

You aren’t going to have heating in overnight really. So the curtains will only be closed when the heating is off most the time

You could try this:

www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Seasonal-Secondary-Glazing-Film---6m%EF%BF%BD/p/210014?fix&gclid=CjwKCAjwtp2bBhAGEiwAOZZTuNAdSl0k5ivldBM6y0YKofr_lkyJzxJpE48Ff_lWnffJy9oDL-15DxoCphkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

There are vids on YouTube showing how to put it up (there's a lot less swearing on the vids than when I did it - they make it look easy. It isn't, but you do get the hang of it).

The physics is sound - trapping a layer of air as insulation, so it should work and I think my bathroom and kitchen windows are slightly warmer :)