Remember your grandparents’ lovely, patterned curtains that went right to the floor, topped off with matching pelmets? How grandma would close the curtains at 5pm everyday to keep the warmth in… Well, it turns out they knew what they were doing all along.
By having double lined curtains that went to the floor, pelmets that stopped the warm air escaping and closing them before it got too cold, they were actually retaining up to 45% of the home’s warmth. Simple right?
Somewhere along the last 30-40 years we stopped seeing curtains as a heating tool and started seeing them as a decorative item to match the ‘look’ we wanted or to stop our neighbour peering in. They’ve lost their original function – to keep a home warm and dry.
Well, it’s time to channel our grandparents again, embrace the double lined, full length curtain and remember to close them before the temperature drops. By doing this and ensuring renters have the same opportunities we can all save money on our power bills, warm up our homes and keep our communities healthier.
A number of leading Health and Housing organisations from around the country have come together to create Curtain Call, imploring the government to include curtains in the Healthy Homes Standards.
You can help close the gaps by signing our petition today to make best practice curtains mandatory in rental homes or by sharing this with your networks.
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