How to cut your heating bill by 15% (and make your home look gorgeous)

telegraph.co.uk:

East London Cloth, believes that the current state of the world is a factor in making us yearn for curtains. “There is a huge comfort in nostalgia,” she says, “and seeing a pair of curtains at the window, bringing warmth and security, fulfils that need.

I think we all need a bit of that right now.”Curtains can also help keep heat in and energy bills down – a huge consideration as prices are set to rise. “Getting curtains for every room – and drawing them as soon as the sun goes down – can cut your heating bill by around 15 per cent, as it allows you to turn your thermostat down by 3-4C,” says Josh Jackman from the Eco Experts.Dr Richard Fitton of the University of Salford, who studies the performance of energy in homes, adds that for rooms where radiators are under windows, “curtains can save 35 per cent of heat escaping, so it’s especially worthwhile." From a design point of view, curtains bring a sense of completeness to a room. “There’s something very satisfying about a pair of doors or a large window that’s been fully dressed in a beautiful pair of curtains, where it might otherwise look unfinished and bare,” says the interior designer Isabella Worsley.

When it comes to choosing curtains, cover the basics first: consider the size of the window and the effect you want your curtains to have, whether that’s minimal and unfussy or full of volume.

Pencil-pleat curtains, where folds of fabric (about the width of a pencil) are gathered tightly together, with hooks attached to the back of the curtain, are the most common.