Keeping your home warm

from Savvy May 2021

Three ways to add cosy to your bedroom this autumn

BY TRACEY HARVEY, FRAZERHURST

My fondest memory of my mother is when she had a pot of soup ready for when we got home from school on a winter afternoon. Warm fuzzies.

I now strive to achieve that same feeling, starting with keeping my home warm.

This is what Consumer has to say about home warmth.

By James le Page; Technical writer for consumer.org.nz

“When it’s time to replace your curtains, most of us only worry about cost and style. But did you know this choice can make a massive difference to how warm and comfortable your home will be over winter? We tested which types were most effective at reducing heat loss in your home”.

Consumer.org.nz identified the problem as follows;

If you have an insulated house, you can lose upwards of 45% of your heat through your windows. This shows the importance of choosing wisely when it comes to your curtains or blinds; the right window coverings can save two-thirds of the heat lost through your windows.

Consumer tested a variety of window coverings in a controlled environment. The results were a little surprising.

Reverse chimney effect is to blame - Cool air is denser (heavier) than warm air. When it’s cold outside, the inside air close to a window pane is cooled and tends to sink. As this cooled air sinks, it gets replaced by warmer air. This creates a circulating air current that cools the room parts. Curtains that aren’t sealed at the top or bottom to stop these air currents can make the situation worse by forming a channel between the window and curtain. This allows cooled air to flow continuously and chill the room faster.

The material a curtain is made from is much less important than “sealing” the curtain so that air movement is stopped. Heat is lost, not so much through curtain fabric, but by air moving between curtain and window. • Make floor-length curtains touch the floor. • Make curtains a generous width, so they overlap the window frames at the sides.