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Small Cabin Forum / Useful Links and Resources / Insulating Window Blinds
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rockies
Member
# Posted: 8 Nov 2018 21:34
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So after cutting and seasoning all that firewood you finally get to drag it inside and stuff it into your wood stove. Then a lot of your heat escapes through your windows.

In looking at thermal blinds and curtains these cellular honeycomb shades seem to be the best type to keep the heat in.

https://shadeworks.ca/2015/10/12/the-best-blinds-for-energy-efficiency-this-winter/

ICC
Member
# Posted: 8 Nov 2018 22:51 - Edited by: ICC
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These are even better, IMO

darz5150
Member
# Posted: 9 Nov 2018 00:12
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We get those cheap fleece blanket/snuggy things. And use thumbtacks to attach them to the window frames.
Its not a high tech solution. But works well for about $2 bucks per window.
1108182248.jpg
1108182248.jpg


rockies
Member
# Posted: 9 Nov 2018 19:48 - Edited by: rockies
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ICC: for some reason your link doesn't work, but here's their brochure.

https://www.windowquilt.com/products/full_broch.htm

https://www.windowquilt.com/

ICC
Member
# Posted: 9 Nov 2018 21:01
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Link works for me though for some other reason...

I bought my first set of those window quilts in 1985. Sold that house but a friend lives there are still has them in place. I have 6 of them in my present home.

darz5150
Member
# Posted: 9 Nov 2018 22:56
Reply 


Here's another one.
These work well for us in the cabin and in the various camper/trailers we have. Good option for tight small cabin budgets. Lol 🏡💲😀
1109182051.jpg
1109182051.jpg


KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 10 Nov 2018 12:18 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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We’re just about to have those honeycomb type blinds put on 13 main floor windows of our city house. ($5k+!!!) The sales lady talked up the energy efficiency angle. I totally ignored it. I don’t believe it and haven’t seen any supporting documentation.

Unless there’s tracks along the sides, there’s going to be air circulating between them and the glass an it will enter and leave along the bottom and both sides. Plus the honeycomb tubes have holes at the end so air will circulate within the tubes. So I doubt the energy efficiency of what we’ve ordered is even real. (I think of batt wall insulation where poor installation that leaves any gaps between the batt and the stud dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the insulation. Also and gaps allow air movement and therefore increase convection.)

In the summer the white ones, that we’ve ordered, may reflect some minor amount of heat back outwards but any sunlight they absorb is going to circulate into the house.

rockies
Member
# Posted: 10 Nov 2018 19:42 - Edited by: rockies
Reply 


I, too, wondered about air leakage around the edges of the honeycomb blinds. The same goes for light leaking around the edges from using blackout versions.

I do feel that the Comfortquilt blinds have solved these problems although they look like they must be installed on the surface of the of the wall over the window rather than inside the window frame (like the honeycomb blinds can).

Probably the best solution would be sheers installed inside the frame for day time sun control and then the Comfortquilt used at night to cut down on heat loss. Just roll them down when you go to bed and reduce the night time heat loss for 8 hours or so.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 10 Nov 2018 21:44 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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Testing:

EVALUATING WINDOW INSULATION FOR COLD CLIMATES
Robbin Garber-Slaght1 and Colin Craven1

http://www.cchrc.org/sites/default/files/docs/JGB_windows_article.pdf



Effect of Window Insulation on Total Heating Demand
in arctic dwellings

http://www.cchrc.org/sites/default/files/docs/window_insulation_martin.pdf




http://www.cchrc.org/interior-shutter-evaluation
Excerpt:

CCHRC is working with Fairbanks builder Thorsten Chlupp to evaluate an interior window shutter system that was designed to reduce heat loss through window while preventing moisture to condensate between the window and the shutter.

The scope of work involves the instrumentation of the new interior window shutter design and monitoring performance over one to two weeks. Thermocouples, a heat flux sensor, and relative humidity sensors will be used to instrument the window.

This data will enable us to:

evaluate the center of glass resistance to heat loss with and without the new interior window shutters address the following questions;
evaluate the condensation potential of the window; and
compare this shutter performance (in terms of both ease of use and cost to homeowner) with previously tested systems.
The data collected ...”

rockies
Member
# Posted: 12 Nov 2018 20:46
Reply 


Also in that article:

http://www.cchrc.org/sites/default/files/docs/window_insulation_final.pdf

rockies
Member
# Posted: 13 Nov 2018 20:06 - Edited by: rockies
Reply 


KinAlberta: Mentioned in the CCHRC document I posted on Nov 12th are their final results of testing various kinds of insulating shades. They state the following about honeycomb blinds (page 11 of the report):

"Because they do not form an area of still air
around the window, the insulating blinds allow
for the introduction of water vapor between the
blinds and the window. Therefore closing the
blind increases the condensation potential of
the window. At colder temperatures, condensation
and eventually ice forms along the bottom of
the window. If the blinds sealed out water vapor,
condensation would be less of a factor, but that
would probably increase the price and the installation
complexity."

Has your manufacturer or installer spoken to you about this possible problem?

I must admit I was seriously considering installing honeycomb blinds but then in comparing them to the Comfortquilt blinds I see in the Comfortquilt brochure they claim to "eliminate window condensation".

I am going to contact Comfortquilt and ask them about that.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 13 Nov 2018 22:15 - Edited by: ICC
Reply 


Quoting: rockies
seriously considering installing honeycomb blinds but then in comparing them to the Comfortquilt blinds I see in the Comfortquilt brochure they claim to "eliminate window condensation".


Comfortquilt??? Do you mean window quilt??? I don't find any window treatments when I google comfortquilt. That produces lots of quilts like you would use on a bed or whatever.....

I think they are the greatest thing for window insulation in weather. For heat they are good but if the sun falls directly on the glass you can do better with shades of some kind on the outside to prevent direct sun on the glass.

If I open one of the window quilts in cold weather I will then sometimes get condensation on the glass. In the old place with the 1960's aluminum frame windows the aluminum would frost up in winter before I installed the window quilts. With the window quilts rolled down the aluminum and glass would be free of moisture or icing. With the quilts up in daytime to allow light in and to see out the aluminum would ice up on very cold days.

Now in the new place with modern windows there is no condensation of the vinyl frames (insulated themselves) and I've never seen any on the glass (triple). But you can measure the colder temperature on the glass than what you read on the quilt when lowered.

They are very good. Not everybody likes the way they have tracks on the wall surface. That is the only compromise IMO. My largest one is 8 ft wide and 7 feet tall.

rockies
Member
# Posted: 13 Nov 2018 22:58
Reply 


My mistake. I meant "Windowquilt"

ICC
Member
# Posted: 13 Nov 2018 23:05
Reply 


Well, as said I love them. I have some that are room darkening, used on the bedrooms. I can blackout the room in daytime and sleep easy. Others let some light through so you can navigate the room w/o turning on a light.

You need window sills, so some homes that just wrap the drywall around the wall into the window opening need a sill added for the bottom seal.

hattie
Member
# Posted: 14 Nov 2018 00:51
Reply 


In the winter we put that shrink wrap plastic on our windows (the kind you put on with double sided tape and shrink it with a hair dryer). For window coverings we have wooden slat blinds. I like them because we can angle them to take advantage of the sun's heat (on sunny days). In the summer we angle them the opposite way and then the sun doesn't get in to heat the already hot house.

I've looked at the window quilts and while I am sure they work really well, I like to get sunshine in the house in the winter.

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