How shutters can make a big impact on your energy costs and warmth
Stewart Rennie - 18/07/2020
The beauty of plantation shutters is that they help to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Because they are made of wood, they are naturally insulating and therefore protect your windows from heat loss in the winter whilst offering shade and protection from the solar heat gain in the summer. They are much thicker than curtains and offer better insulation in the winter as well as better air circulation, thereby minimising the risk of condensation. In homes with poor air circulation, curtains can end up damp and affected by mildew in the winter.
Studies have shown that in an uninsulated home, 35% of heat is lost through the walls, 25% through the roof and the remaining 40% through the windows, floors and doors. Windows therefore represent a significant area of heat loss from your home. In single glaze-windowed homes, the windows alone may account for 20% of the heat lost from your home.
This becomes particularly important when you factor in the rising cost of heating your home. Fuel prices have broadly continued their steady rise since around 2005 - even when the fuel markets have seen drops in the wholesale price, so much so that there has been much talk about capping prices. In addition there continues to be pressure for increased fuel duties owing to the issues of climate change. So it seems that as well as wreaking havoc on our environment, climate change is likely to be continue to impact on our fuel bills.
So it seems that increasing fuel costs aren’t going to go away any time soon and therefore insulating your home and improving it’s thermal efficiency will only grow in importance. Installing plantation style shutters is one of the most stylish ways of improving the insulation value of your home but it is the combination of privacy and light that they afford which is so appealing.
Many victorian terraced houses, typical in Portsmouth streets, have large bay windows and a small forecourt. Whilst these houses make fabulous homes and are much sought after, their small forecourts can lead to residents looking for a little more privacy without the loss of daylight that we associate with curtains or the loss of style that goes with ‘nets’.
Plantation shutters are the perfect solution to any victorian house bay window. As well as adding a new cosiness to your home and keeping the drafts out they also provide that bit of valuable privacy. After all, who wants passerbys looking in, as we cosy up in our PJs in front of the TV on a Friday night!
There is nothing nicer than closing your shutters and curling up on the sofa. Quite literally shutting the world out on a cold winter’s night.
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