Old venetian blinds on single glazed windows are hardly a recommended option when it comes to preventing heat loss through windows. But it was exactly what was in the Aranui house that Sherona rents from her parents to live in with her three young children.
“Insulation is all about trapping air and with all the gaps between the slats, Venetian blinds do a terrible job in trapping air between the glass and the window covering,” one of CEA’s energy advisers says.
Sherona looked at buying curtains but quickly realised that was beyond her means when she saw the prices. “No way I could afford curtains.”
Until she heard about the Curtain Bank.
She is not sure whether she heard about the Curtain Bank through Te Puawaitanga, a Maori Well Child provider, or through one of the parenting Facebook pages. She does remember what she thought when she heard about the Curtain Bank: “This is great!”
“Applying for the curtains was easy,” she comments. “The only difficult part was deciding on the curtains. There were so many to choose from!”
Sherona has noticed the difference in warmth. “Our fire is amazing but with the curtains, I noticed the heat stays much longer in the house when I let it die down in the evening. And in the morning we are not wearing our dressing gowns anymore before the fire is going!”
The curtains also make her feel better about living in the house. “I like closing the curtains not just the blinds. It makes it more cosy.”
Pretty pink curtains for the girls, curtains with trucks and cars for her son and rich red curtains for mum certainly give the house a cheery, homely feel.
But probably the best thing to come from the curtains are the health benefits. “My son who has just turned three, was always sick with a runny nose and coughs. Last winter he had only one.”
Realising the health benefit for her toddler, she says: “That made me feel great.”
And she is spreading the word: “Any post that I see on parenting Facebook pages about cold homes or curtains, I mention the Curtain Bank. Some people know but a lot of them don’t have a clue.”
“Get in contact with the Curtain Bank if your house is cold and you don’t have any proper curtains!” she recommends.
Keep referring people to us, Sherona! We are delighted to see and hear the difference the Curtain Bank curtains have made to you.
