Which blinds provide the best insulation?

First, a little bit of simple science

When temperatures are colder outside than inside, glass conducts the heat from inside the house to the outside where it disappears. The air next to the glass inside, having lost its heat, becomes cold and dense and falls to the floor drawing in new warm air from above. This cycle continues until you lose all your warm air outside.

The perfect fit

To provide good insulation, your blinds need to fit snugly with the window frame to seal any gaps and trap the air in between the blind and the window. Any gap and the thermal effects of the blind, even if it’s well lined, will be negated. For this reason, we recommend fitting the blind outside the window frame.

Lining

Lining is essential for improving insulation so if this is what you need from your blinds, choose and option that can be lined, such as a roller roman blind.

Honeycomb blinds

Like double glazing, honeycomb blinds have air pockets in them which forms barrier for increased insulation and energy efficiency. For keeping your home warm they’re possibly the best option.

Roman blinds

Thermal lined roman blinds are also an excellent choice. They cover the entire window space leaving little room for heat to escape. You have a choice of fabrics to suit your aesthetic and insulating needs, and they can be constructed with a number of different linings to ensure you get the insulation and blockout properties appropriate for your room. Just remember they need to fit snugly against the wall to create that seal and stop cold air leaking through.

Roller blinds

With roller blinds you have a choice of either an over roll or under roll. This refers to the direction the blind comes off the roll. If insulation is a major goal, go for the under roll where the fabric comes off the roll backwards. This means the blind unrolls against the wall (as opposed to jutting out from it with an over roll) and will help stop cold air getting in.

Venetian and vertical blinds

These options are not very energy efficient. The small gaps in between each slat in Venetian blinds and vertical blinds allows warm air to escape, reducing insulation capabilities. Don’t write them off completely however. Insulation requirements vary throughout the home so they may still be appropriate for rooms that need less insulation such as the bathroom, kitchen or laundry.

To find out even more ways to reduce heat loss through windows read our blog.