Best blinds for window insulation

Product Management specialist

Written: 20/11/2013

Updated: 05/08/2024

Help stop heat escaping through your windows with our most effective blinds, curtains and shutters

A really easy way to keep that precious warmth inside your home when it's cold outside is to choose a window dressing that'll help reduce draughts and air leakage. We've got plenty of thermal solutions that do just that, and will stop you reaching for the thermostat.

In this guide, we talk you through our top insulators and give you some handy tips to help improve the energy efficiency of your home and keep you warm and cosy.

duette charcoal pleated blinds on french doors in living room

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There is a smart and innovative product in our Pleated blinds range. It’s called a Thermashade™ blind. It features two special layers of fabric which together form a honeycomb shape. This honeycomb pocket traps air and creates a barrier between your warm room and the cold window to keep the heat in.

Thermashade™ Pleated blinds, also known as Thermal blinds, are suitable for all rooms in the house but are particularly effective in conservatories and garden rooms, which get very cold in the winter months. Heating these spaces is costly, but Thermashade™ blinds will help keep the heat in your living space for longer. They’re flexible too. Thermashade™ blinds can be fitted into Perfect Fit frames to give a neat, streamlined finish.

You could also consider a Transition™ blind which is made of two different fabrics, giving you two blinds in one.

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cley donkey roman blind with collette vixen fringing in a grey living room with an orange sofa and cactii

What other blind types help reduce heat loss?

When fitted properly, a closed blind will fit snugly at your window, stopping draughts entering the room and providing an insulating layer of warm air trapped between the fabric and glazing.

This means made to measure blinds are a really effective solution. A smart choice is a Roman blind. They offer the simplicity of a Roller blind but with the warmth and versatility of soft fabrics. All our Roman blinds are lined as standard, but for maximum heat retention choose to add a lining. The extra layer at your window will help keep things super cosy.

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A real customer story

Our extension can get really cold in winter as there is so much glass for heat to escape. Roman blinds help keep it in and make the whole room feel much cosier, warmer and more comfortable.
Carol, Hillarys customer

White shutters in a living room with a sofa facing away from the windows. A potted plant and bookshelf on the right hand side.

Shut out the cold

Shutters are an excellent way to insulate windows and improve energy efficiency in your home. With a wooden barrier at your window, shutting them on cold evenings will keep chills out and the warmth in. In fact, it has been shown that when closed, shutters can reduce heat loss through a window by more than 50%.

Shutters are flexible too, giving you the option to keep the frames closed and keep the draughts at bay, but still allowing light in by positioning the slats (louvres) to suit you.

Improving your window dressings can make a big impact on your heating bills and your carbon emissions. Help save money, help save the planet, it’s a win-win.

To tip from a Hillarys advisor

Shutters are a flexible choice, giving you the option to keep the frames closed and draughts at bay, but still allowing light in by positioning the louvres to suit you.
Mark, Hillary advisor

eyelet curtains in oriel sepia in modern rustic bedroom setting

Are curtains thermally efficient?

Curtains also help to keep a room warmer. Like our Roman blinds, all of our curtains and lined as standard, but for added cosiness go a step further with a thermal lining. Products with a thermal lining have an additional sateen twill layer that not only reduces heat loss through your windows but gives your curtains a thicker, luxurious look too.

For bedrooms where you want additional light control as well as warmth, you could think about teaming thermal curtains with blackout blinds. You'll notice the difference to the temperature in your home, allowing you to turn down the thermostat to save on energy consumption.

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Top tip from a Hillarys advisor

Curtains can also help keep your home cooler in summer by reducing the amount of warm air transferred in.
Ger, Hillarys advisor

Full Height Silk White Shutters in a Bedroom

Layer up

Another great way to manage heat loss is to layer curtains over blinds or shutters. You’ll not only benefit from the additional insulation, but a luxurious finishing look too. Blend different textures, colours, patterns and plains for a finish that’s as cosy as it is stylish.

If you've a radiator fitted under a window, open the curtains while the blind is closed to keep cooler air out without blocking the heat gain from your radiator.

And for rooms where you want additional light control as well as warmth, team thermal curtains with blackout blinds. They're a great way to minimise light levels in your bedroom to create a restful environment for sleep.

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