Are you torn between choosing thermal or blackout curtains?
To help you make the right decision and ensure that you are completely happy with your choice, we have compared both products, so that you can select the right product for your home.
But what’s the difference between blackout and thermal curtains?
In short, blackout curtains are primarily designed to blackout a room by reducing the amount of light that can enter through the window.
Thermal curtains, on the other hand, are primarily designed to reduce heat loss from a room’s windows.
However, both types of curtains have similar properties that can make the choice between the two a little tougher.
What Are Blackout Curtains?
Blackout curtains are designed to darken a room.
When fitted correctly they will block out unwanted light, from a bright sun beaming light into your room during early morning sunrise, through to street and car light that is disturbing your sleep.
Blackout curtains can also help to reduce noise from outside and, save you some money on heating bills, keeping your room warmer in the winter months, and cooler in the summer months.
What Are Blackout Curtains Used For?
If you are struggling with a sleep pattern due to sunlight or any unwanted light, blackout curtains will prevent the light from filtering through the window, to completely blackout your room you would choose a 100% Blackout curtain.
Blackout curtains would be a welcome addition to your bedroom, especially if you are a night shift worker, or you have a child that wakes easily.
How Do Blackout Curtains Work?
Made from our innovative, proprietary 100% blackout fabric, our curtains use triple weave technology to provide a three-layer approach to functional curtains.
Special black yarns are woven tightly into the middle of a unique multiple layered lining, and it is the middle yarns that deliver block out properties to a room. With 100% blackout fabric not a single ray of light will filter into the room.
What Are Thermal Curtains?
Thermal curtains are ideal to reduce draughts at the window and keep the heat in your room. They will block out some light and can muffle out any loud noises since they can act as a sound barrier.
What Are Thermal Curtains Used For?
If you are trying to improve energy efficiency in your home, thermal curtains at your windows can help reduce fuel use, lower utility bills and improve indoor comfort.
Thermal curtains are also available as blackout, using this option has the added capability of blocking light from entering a room.
How Do Thermal Curtains Work?
Made from three layers of different thick fabrics, these layers work together to control the temperature of rooms, thus providing thermal and insulating properties.
Having Thermal curtains in front of the window, heat is kept inside the room during the winter, and during the summer heat from the sun is reflected, back outside.
Thermal vs Blackout: What are the differences?
The key differences between the two types of curtains are that blackout curtains were designed primarily to block out light while thermal curtains are intended to keep a room warm or cold.
Blackout curtains are made from a lighter triple weave fabric which is designed to block out light, compared to Thermal curtains which are made from 3 layers of thick fabric, in most case using 100 % cotton, polyester, or wool, and to protect them from UV rays, the back part of the curtains are coated with acrylic foam.
Blackouts curtains can help with temperature control, but this is not their main function.
Thermal curtains, if bought as a Blackout Thermal curtain can darken a room as well keeping the warmth in and the cold out of the room.
What Are The Pros Of Thermal Curtains?
- Added warmth in your home – thermal linings help keep heat in your room.
- Energy-efficient – more warmth will be confined to your room so there’s no need to turn up the thermostat on your central heating, which leads to lower energy bills.
- Thicker lining to help keep your room darker – they won’t block out all the light, but they can prevent some light from shining and glare through our windows.
- Effectively controls the room temperature in the summer and winter – keeping the warmth in a room during winter and unwanted sunlight out the room during the summer, by reflecting the heat in or outside.
- Added volume and body to the curtains giving a more voluptuous look, with the additional thickness of multi linings.
What Are The Cons Of Thermal Curtains?
- Light can still filter through the window – if you need a solution to blackout your window, thermal curtains will not block out all the light.
- The lining colour is usually off white or cream.
- Lack of privacy – people looking in may be able to see you in your room from the outside when the curtains are drawn in the evening.
What Are The Pros Of Blackout Curtains?
- Blocks out 100% light into a room, including natural sunlight, street light and car lights.
- You will get a better night’s sleep with blackout products.
- Protects your privacy – no-one can see you in your room from the outside when the curtains are drawn in the evening.
- Heat reduction properties – In the winter months less heat escapes through your windows and in the summer months your room will be cooler.
- Our Blackout curtains have no separate linings.
What Are The Cons Of Blackout Curtains?
- Light is completely blocked out – if your room is already quite dark you may want to opt for a different fabric so that some light can filter into the room.
- Don’t control the room temperature as effectively – thermal curtains are more energy efficient.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking for something to Blackout light, we would recommend 100% Blackout curtains.
However, if you need something to help reduce the heat loss in a room and not totally darken a room, we would recommend Thermal curtains.
The final decision is yours, if we had to choose between the two, it would be Blackouts, either 100% or lesser blackout fabric.
