Passive Solar Produces

[peakbagger]

Seasoned Oak asked for a source of insulating blinds http://cellularwindowshades.wordpress.com/

I bought some of their blinds with the side tracks (they qualified for a rebate). I have some regular double cellular without the tracks and some with and the ones with the tracks are a lot tighter with fewer drafts. I only wish they made them with a reflective coating on the outside so that in the summer I could use them to cut back on solar gain. In general, I like their cellular blinds better as the hardware is a bit heavier than the American brand.

 

[Thomas Anderson]

I'm thinking of making my own curtains which will incorporate a stylish fabric on the interior side, a layer of batting, a layer of radiant barrier fabric, and then a sheer white layer toward the exterior to diffuse any reflections off the radiant barrier layer.

(broken link removed to http://www.radiantbarrier.com/temptrol.htm)

I'm also thinking an air-tight valence at the top and maybe velcro the outside edges of the curtains to the sides of the window frame. And maybe pair that with a tracked insulated window shade.

 

[peakbagger]

Sounds like a high tech version of the old "window quilt" insulated curtains. They down side for them was that they took up a lot of space when they were in the open position. The cellular blinds dont take up much room when open.

 

[begreen]

I like the look of cellular blinds better too. They can track in side channels to make a fairly effective insulation barrier and they can be used to reduce heat gain, while still allowing diffuse lighting.