Energy expert issues warning to people closing curtains this winter

Home experts have issued a warning to people closing their curtains to keep the heat in this winter.

This week it was announced that energy bills are expected to rise again in January, while snow arrived across much of the UK.

With energy bills on the up and temperatures outside dropping, many people will be looking to those quick tips to save energy.

And advice on what to do with your curtains seems to change with the seasons, with many people slamming their drapery and blinds closed in a bid to keep their house warm.

But in fact, closing your curtains when it’s cold is actually a bad idea, according to those in the know.

That’s because keeping the curtains closed in the daytime doesn’t retain heat it actually block out heat from entering your home through your windows, even on drab, grey, overcast or snowy days.

This is the opposite to how it works in summer, when your house is too hot and you close the curtains to stop the sun from warming it further through the windows.

Then, in the evening when the sun goes down, you close the curtains to keep in that heat you gained.

David Wilson Homes has explained how ‘solar gain’ works to help heat your house through its windows, a bit like a greenhouse effect, even on days where the sun isn’t strong.

A spokesman for the firm said: “You may think that keeping the curtains closed during the daytime helps to retain heat, but actually when the sun is shining towards your windows it is better to leave them open and take advantage of the solar gain.

“Once the sun begins to set in the early evening, you should then close the curtains or blinds to retain the heat emitted during the day.

“Another trick is to layer curtains over blinds or shutters to help manage heat loss in the evening.”

The firm also warned that plug-in electric heaters can actually be more expensive than your central heating and so should be used sparingly.

They added: “Leaving electric heaters on all day is not cost-effective, for instance, a 2kW fan heater costs approximately 49p per hour when running at full power.

“Using it for four hours in an evening would total £1.96, and over the course of a week, it could add up to £13.72 In comparison, it costs around £2.00 for a 24kW gas boiler to heat the entire house, so you’ll need to consider what option serves you best at the time.”