Thermal Drapes vs. Thermal Roman Shades
Estimates place the amount of heat leaving your house through the windows at about 20 percent of your total heating usage. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, insulating window treatments can help reduce this loss by 25 percent. The secret? Layers. Layers in the Roman shades, layers in the drapes. Drapes are lined curtains. Drapes and Roman shades each have advantages and disadvantages, and understanding the differences will help you choose the fabric window covering that meets your needs. Does this Spark an idea?
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What Makes a Thermal Covering
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Layering fabric in a window treatment has the same effect on heat loss as wearing multiple layers of clothing. The most effective thermal fabric window treatments are made of the decorator fabric, an interlining of a batting-like fabric and an opaque lining. To achieve the maximum amount of thermal insulation from fabric window treatments, the recommendation is a fitted, insulated, Roman shade under thermal drapes, topped with a thermal valance.
Advantages of Thermal Drapes
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Thermal drapes are constructed much larger than the window, both in width and length. This helps prevent the cold air from the window coming into contact with the warm air of the room and, in doing so also helps prevent condensation on the windows. The thermal capacity of drapes can be increased by adding curtains on additional rods and can be as simple as a layer of insulating fabric hung alone. These layers can be added or removed, as the seasons require.
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Disadvantages of Thermal Drapes
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Thermal drapes require a large amount of fabric and a fairly high degree of proficiency to construct and install. Because of their weight and the possibility of multiple curtains at one location, the hardware required is specific and will may have to be purchased from a drapery hardware specialist. Few DIY stores carry this type of heavy-duty hardware.
Advantages of Thermal Roman Shades
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Thermal Roman shades are easy to construct and install, with all the hardware being readily available in any DIY store. They don’t require a lot of fabric, so the cost is much less than that of drapes. Roman shades also do not take up wall space, a consideration in small rooms or rooms with a lot of windows.
Disadvantages of Thermal Roman Shades
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The main disadvantage of a thermal Roman shade is heat leakage around the edges. If the shade is hung inside the window frame, the mounting ease gap on each side of the blind, usually 1/8 inch, over a 40-inch long blind translates to a coverage “hole” of 4 square inches. Roman shades, when in the up position, can require 10 to 12 inches of window for stack. Mounting outside the window frame negates most of the insulating properties because the shade does not hang tightly against the frame.
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