When the cold arrives early and the bills climb with it, people have always reached for the same quiet remedy: a heavy cloth hung in the doorway to keep the room's warmth from leaking away. This week, a seller of heating products has revived that old habit as a cheap way to take the edge off winter, pairing hanging curtains with draught excluders at floor level. The claims of warmer rooms and lower thermostat settings come from that company's own experts rather than from independent tests, so the old remedy arrives with a modern caveat attached.
Victorian Curtains and Draught Excluders: A Low-Cost Way to Keep Heat In This January
A fabric barrier that traps the warmth you've already paid for
Mark
So what's the actual advice here?
Mimi
Hang heavy curtains over internal doorways and the front door, add a draught excluder at the floor, and cover letterboxes and keyholes if you can.
Mark
Why the Victorians?
Mimi
They called these curtains portières. The experts are reviving an old idea: trap the warmth you've paid for in the rooms you use.
Luke
Before we get comfortable, who's making the claims?
Mimi
Experts at Plumbworld. They say heavy curtains cut window heat loss by about a third to two-fifths.
Luke
And Plumbworld sells heating products. The article cites no independent testing, so those figures are one company's estimate.
Mark
What about the 1 to 2°C rise?
Mimi
That's their typical figure for the heated space, especially on cold evenings. They also say you might lower the thermostat about 1°C.
Luke
Notice the hedges: typically, roughly, many households. It isn't a measured result for any particular house.
Mark
Anything to be careful about?
Mimi
Yes. Don't drape curtains over radiators or block vents, because that's a fire hazard.
Luke
That warning is the firmest thing in the piece. The cost, and how much you'd save, isn't given at all.
El Pulso
- Sudden drops in temperature are pushing households to find warmth without raising their thermostats.
- Plumbworld's experts promote a 'Victorian fix' of heavy curtains over internal and front doors plus floor-level draught excluders.
- The method needs no tools, suits renters, and can be installed in minutes, offering a fast way to act before the next cold spell.
- Claimed results of roughly 1–2°C warmer rooms and a possible 1°C thermostat cut remain one commercial seller's estimate, not measured data.
- A fire warning cautions against draping curtains over radiators or blocking vents, keeping the cheap fix from becoming a hazard.
When the cold arrives early and the bills climb with it, people have always reached for the same quiet remedy: a heavy cloth hung in the doorway to keep the room's warmth from leaking away. This week, a seller of heating products has revived that old habit as a cheap way to take the edge off winter, pairing hanging curtains with draught excluders at floor level. The claims of warmer rooms and lower thermostat settings come from that company's own experts rather than from independent tests, so the old remedy arrives with a modern caveat attached.
As the temperature fell sharply across Britain, many households started looking for ways to hold on to warmth without turning the thermostat up. The Sun turned to heating experts at Plumbworld, who champion an old approach they call the "Victorian fix."
The method has two parts: a heavy curtain hung over internal doorways and the front door, the portières of an earlier age, and a draught excluder laid along the floor. Together, the experts say, they form a fabric barrier that keeps paid-for heat in the rooms people actually use. It needs no tools, suits renters, and can go up in minutes.
The experts claim heavy curtains can cut window heat loss by a third to two-fifths, producing rooms about 1 to 2°C warmer, especially on cold evenings. Draught-proofing doors, they add, could let many households lower the thermostat by around 1°C without feeling colder.
The advice is simple: fit a tension pole or rail above the doorway, add a draught excluder at the base, and close the curtains at night. Keep curtains away from radiators and never block vents, the article warns, since both create a fire risk.
The numbers, however, come from a commercial seller. No independent testing is cited, so the savings are an estimate rather than a measured result, though the approach itself is low-cost and low-risk.
As temperatures dropped suddenly across Britain, The Sun reported that many households are looking for ways to keep warmth in their homes without turning up the thermostat. The paper's answer comes from heating experts at Plumbworld, who point to an old approach they call the "Victorian fix."
The fix has two parts. The first is a heavy curtain hung over internal doorways and over the front door. The Victorians called these portières. The second is a draught excluder laid at floor level. Together, the experts say, they form a fabric barrier that holds in the warmth households have already paid for, in the rooms people are actually using.
Plumbworld's experts describe it as needing no gadgets and no tools. They say it suits renters and can be put up in minutes. The method is cheap and, by their account, centuries old.
The figures come from the same experts. They say heavy curtains can cut window heat loss by roughly a third to two-fifths. In their account, that reduction produces a small but noticeable rise in room temperature, typically 1 to 2°C in the heated space, especially during cold evening spells.
Doors are the other target. On leaky period doors and in halls, the experts say, draught-proofing can sharply reduce the cold air getting in, so rooms feel warmer at the same thermostat setting. In practical terms, they suggest many households could lower the thermostat by about 1°C without feeling colder.
The installation advice is simple. Fit a tension pole or curtain rail above the doorway, on internal doors and on the front door. Add a draught excluder at the bottom, and cover letterboxes and keyholes if possible. Close the curtains at night, when falling temperatures make them most effective at limiting heat loss.
There is one safety warning. The curtains should not be draped over radiators, and vents should not be blocked, because either could create a fire hazard.
One caution applies to the numbers. They are attributed to experts at Plumbworld, a commercial seller, and the article does not cite independent testing. The advice is low-cost and low-risk if the safety warning is followed, but the size of the savings is one company's estimate rather than a measured result.
Citas Notables
Heavy curtains can cut window heat loss by roughly a third to two-fifths.— Plumbworld heating experts, quoted in The Sun
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