Solar Heating Drapes?
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
United States
August 12, 2009 12:23pm CST
Has anyone used these? Do they work in keeping your home warmer in winter? Sounds interesting as we have plenty of sunny windows but our house is not air tight. And anything that will save us money til we can afford to replace our windows would be an asset to our home.
http://www.discoverpower.com/shop/solar_heating_drapes_energy_effecient_save.asp
2 people like this
3 responses
@JoyfulOne (6231)
• United States
12 Aug 09
I haven't used those kind, though they look real interesting. They sound like they might be ideal for letting in the sunshine without blocking the view. Geez, they're not cheap are they?! I did something a little different. I made curtain liners with panels inbetween the liner and the curtain part. It's from a fabric that keeps the cold out, and reflects the heat back in. I live in an old farm house and doing this has made a huge difference in the wintertime. Like you, I can't afford to do new windows, so at least with the ones I made I can put them in during the winter, and out during the summer. If you do get these, I'd love to read if they work well. It will be interesting to read here if anybody else bought the solar drapes and their experience with them.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
12 Aug 09
Where did you get the fabric you used?
I totally need something to help keep the heat in our house in winter... the plastic window things only work til a kid pops one or a cat does *sigh*
I was reading about using the mylar emergency blankets as pannels on the windows BUT I'm confused as a person posted it on a frugal board as a way to reflect the heat of the sun to keep your house cool?!? How this is possible I don't know as I thought metalic surfaces would attract heat or am I wrong? I can see it attracting heat being useful in winter. Plus it would block out light then would cause an increas in your electric bill so you could see what you are doing. But in our one back bedroom since hubby works nights that would be fine the darker in there during the day the better.
1 person likes this
@JoyfulOne (6231)
• United States
12 Aug 09
The stuff I bought was at a fabric store. I don't remember the name of it, but it's shiny silver fabric on the one side, and a duller grey on the reverse side of it. It's really tightly woven. I put the shiny side facing in, and the duller side facing out. I made for each of the windows here, and I notice when I put them up that it immediately stops any drafts and keeps the heat reflected back into the room. In the daytime, I open the curtains on the side of the house that the sun is shining in, and the reverse side closed. I find I have ample sunlight in a room doing it that way. Then at night, all of them are closed. I think the reflective quality, plus it being a tight weave is what makes the difference. I don't know about mylar, I think my cats would poke it too. The stuff I got the kitties nails don't even go through it, yet it's pliable enough to drape nicely under the curtains.
I don't use Solar heating drapes.IN Thailand has very hot weather and in winter is only cold about 14-20 c.I don't need to use them.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
12 Aug 09
Hi snuggle bunnies, I don't believe for one moment we'd be able to get things like that out here. The traditional way we use to keep the cold air out in winter is to have shutters outside each window. They can also be used to keep the extreme heat outside in the summer but I prefer them open then, and the windows too.
In the winter though the shutters give double protection against the cold and are cheaper than replacing windows.
