Hanging your curtains over your radiators means that there is a chance they could be blocking warm air from entering the room. At the moment while the cost of living is ever rising, this might be something you want to consider.
Correctly fitted curtains should not cover the top of the radiator, but should stop just below the window ledge. Of course, badly fitting, leaky windows won't help.
TLDR: Radiators are placed under windows so that the rising warm air will counteract the cold down draught generated by the glazing. If the radiator were on the opposite internal wall, the cold down-draught and the warm up-draught would reinforce each other, which may prove uncomfortable.
Cardboard and foil. Make a surfboard shape (ie curved over at one end out of card, cover with foil. Stick behind radiator so it pushes the curtains away from the radiator. Eh voila, the heat is pushed into the room. You can always shove it down in the daytime too.
Studies demonstrate that medium-colored draperies with white-plastic backings can reduce heat gains by 33%. When drawn during cold weather, most conventional draperies can reduce heat loss from a warm room up to 10% and increase the thermal comfort of the home.
Leaving windows covered by blackout curtains can help keep some heat out during the day, but there's a hidden source of heat that can still lead to sticky sleeping without some proactive steps. Light and heat from the sun heats up everything it touches, including the structure of your home.
Coverings and shading
External shading is much more effective at keeping your home cool than internal blinds or curtains, as it stops the heat reaching the glass, but using both external and internal window coverings will provide maximum protection.
Don't tuck curtains behind the radiator, use tie backs instead. Pair floor length curtains with blinds for additional privacy and sunlight control. Install ceiling tracks to increase the distance from the radiator to the curtains.
However it's best if your curtains sit a maximum of 2-4 centimetres above a radiator to prevent the curtains from blocking any wanted heat. If by chance your curtains do cover your radiator at all it is recommended that you tuck them behind the radiator and not block it.
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.
They took a lot of manpower to build, and it was difficult to create a balance of heat throughout the home. And you couldn't zone it like you can't hot water. Then hot water became more popular because it gives us more control over the temperature and allows you to heat your home more evenly.
Radiators can get hot; it's pretty much their only job. If you have children in the house, it may be a good idea to invest in radiator covers for safety reasons. With sensitive skin, it's very easy to end up burning yourself on a radiator, especially on bare skin.
This is something most of us learn in school and it helps to explain why radiators are located underneath windows. As the hot air rises from the radiator, the cold air that is coming in through the window pushes against the warm air, circulating it around the room much more efficiently.
Some radiator covers can impede the circulation of warmth, reducing the room's temperature, and ultimately hampering your radiator's heat output. There are so many different designs and materials homeowners can choose from, luckily, so it's fairly easy to avoid this issue.
In living rooms, a console over a radiator is a great spot for decorative objects, lamps and picture frames – hang art on the wall above just as you would with a bigger piece of furniture.
If you want your room to benefit from the heat generated by your radiator, one obvious option is to choose curtains that don't extend below your windows. It's a practical choice, as longer curtains would act as a barrier, preventing heat from circulating around the room.
Blackout curtains can trap heat in during the winter and keep light and heat out during the summer. 10-25% of thermal energy loss goes out the windows. Blackout curtains can curtail this loss by a 25%, reducing your utility bills and greenhouse gases. How Much Do Blackout Curtains Cost and Where Can I Get Them?
Risk of Fire and Burns
Older baseboard heaters have gaps at the top of the heater where small toys can fall in and cause problems. Drapery or furniture placed too close to heaters can also be a problem.
When curtains are pulled in front of a radiator, the radiator releases warm air behind the curtain and heats only the window's space. During winter, days are shorter and curtains are pulled even earlier than usual. By doing so, we risk using more energy/heat more than necessary, leading to much higher bills.
Whereas black surfaces absorb heat energy and light, white surfaces reflect them in contrast. Therefore, to project as much heat as possible out of radiators, moving the heat effectively from the inside to the outside, you would opt to paint them white.
Is It Okay To Put A Sofa In Front Of A Radiator? It is not recommended to place a sofa directly in front of a radiator.
Blinds Versus Curtains
In general, curtains are better for retaining heat in the home. However, by choosing a thermal blind you can reduce heat loss from your home by 20-40%, while thermal curtains reduce heat loss by just 25%-30%.
Increase the Shade
Adding window treatments is one of the easiest ways to keep sunlight from heating your living space. Curtains or drapes with a reflective or light-colored backing would do the best job since they won't absorb extra heat. In addition, you can consider getting adjustable blinds or a roller-type shade.
Houses will always lose heat. The colder the outside temperature or the stronger the wind, the greater the amount of heat lost through the walls, windows, doors and roof of your home ('the building fabric'). In general terms an older building will lose proportionately more heat than one built more recently.