Stay Warm This Fall: How Homerilla Curtains and Honeycomb Shades Cut Your Heating Bill
Autumn is here. Nights are longer, drafts are creeping back around window frames, and the heating bill is about to climb. Before you touch the thermostat, look at your windows. They are the weakest thermal point in almost every home, and the fix is often simpler than upgrading the glass.
Homerilla carries two families of products built for exactly this season: thermal curtains in wool and chenille, and honeycomb shades engineered for insulation. Here is how they work, what they do to your room temperature, and how to layer them for the best effect.
Why Windows Lose So Much Heat
A single pane window has an R value of about 1. Double glazing gets you to roughly 2 to 3. A typical insulated wall sits around 13 to 20. Your window is a hole in that wall, and heat flows through it in three ways:
- Conduction: cold glass pulls heat from the warm air next to it
- Convection: cold air sinks from the glass, warm air rises, and a continuous draft loop forms inside the room
- Radiation: heat radiates from your warm body and furniture toward the cold glass surface, making you feel cold even when the air temperature is fine
Curtains and shades interrupt all three. They trap a still air layer between the fabric and the glass, block radiation from reaching the cold surface, and stop the convection loop from circulating cold air into the room.
Thermal Curtains: Wool and Chenille
Fabric thickness matters, but density and weave matter more. A heavy curtain that is loosely woven still lets air pass. Homerilla thermal curtains are built from dense, structured yarns that trap air inside the weave itself.
Wool Curtains
Wool is nature's insulator. The fibers are crimped and hollow, which means they hold still air in microscopic pockets. That air is the actual insulator, not the fiber itself. Wool also absorbs and releases moisture without feeling damp, which helps regulate humidity in a heated room.
Homerilla wool curtains are dense enough to block drafts and heavy enough to hang with a clean fold. They suit living rooms, bedrooms, and any space where you want warmth plus a natural, textured look.
Chenille Curtains
Chenille is the soft heavyweight of the curtain world. The yarn has a raised, fuzzy surface that traps air across a much larger area than a smooth weave. That surface area is what makes chenille feel warm to the touch and perform well as a thermal barrier.
Homerilla chenille options include Simon Chenille and Seren Chenille, both high density fabrics that also serve as blackout curtains when chosen without a lining. They are the practical pick for bedrooms that need warmth at night and darkness in the morning.
What a Thermal Curtain Actually Does
A properly fitted thermal curtain can reduce heat loss through a window by 25 to 40 percent depending on the fabric, the fit, and whether you pair it with a shade. The key is the still air layer. A curtain that hangs flat against the glass does almost nothing. A curtain that stands 2 to 4 inches off the glass, with a gap at the top and closed sides, creates a trapped air pocket that acts like a second pane of glass.
That is why we recommend a wrap around curtain pole for thermal setups. The pole curves back to the wall at both ends, so the curtain seals against the wall instead of leaving a gap at the sides. Side gaps are where the draft loop sneaks through. Close them and the thermal performance jumps.
Honeycomb Shades: Engineered Insulation
If curtains are the soft layer, honeycomb shades are the engineered one. The name comes from the cellular structure: the fabric forms hexagonal air pockets that trap still air in a rigid, repeatable pattern. Each cell is a tiny insulator, and the whole shade becomes a lightweight thermal barrier that sits right inside the window frame.
Homerilla honeycomb shades are designed for both heat retention in winter and heat rejection in summer. The same air pockets that keep warmth in during cold months also block solar heat from entering during summer. It is a year round insulation product, not a seasonal one.
Why Honeycomb Beats a Flat Shade
A flat roller shade traps almost no air. It sits against the glass, conducts heat, and does little for insulation. A honeycomb shade holds multiple layers of still air in its cells. The difference is like wearing a t-shirt versus a puffer jacket.
Honeycomb shades also seal the window perimeter better than most curtains. Mounted inside the frame, they block the convection loop at its source. Mounted outside the frame, they cover the entire window opening and stop drafts at the edges.
Noise Reduction as a Bonus
The same cellular structure that traps air also absorbs sound. Honeycomb shades reduce outside noise noticeably, which makes them a favorite for bedrooms on busy streets, home offices, and apartments near traffic. The insulation and acoustic benefits come from the same physical mechanism.
