precisely, how useful an idea is it using soft furnishings probably layered with air gaps?
Home clothing? Like dressing up to go to the South Pole.
A key usp of mammals is hair. Why not layer the prostheses we create out of hard stuff?
To be fair, going medieval isn’t such a bad idea. The carbon generated per person was much lower than now.
What would you do, use? Thermal linings, heavy curtains? Are there tricks mountaineers use that can be used on homes?
Retrofitting will have to be done in stages, maybe a first step is improving comfort looks and feel?
Which nicely ties in with my recent post:
We have a draughty, failing window in our living room which we’re not able to change yet. Instead, we changed the curtain pole to a track to close the gap at the top to prevent heat loss, then we hung fully lined floor to ceiling curtains. The difference this winter has been tremendous.
1 Like
Ceiling to floor heavy curtains are great, so long as they don’t cover the radiator.
Made bed earlier and realised high tog duvets might make excellent insulation if hung properly behind curtains
1 Like
About 25 years ago I had the idea of a modern night time window shutter made of a frame that contains insulation and fits tightly into the window reveal. I even thought of having artwork on it so that during the day it could hang anonymously on the wall.
Shutters are now a popular addition. There is no reason why internal insulation should also not be decorative
Internal decoration experts actually becoming critical insulation experts
And vice versa of course.
1 Like
Will post more links as I find them, this definitely needs more research! Insulating effect of curtains | Gentle Descent
The 9 Best Thermal Curtains of 2023. These look interesting backings to the tapestries I acquired on the crusades, but my steward commented I must watch out for mould draughts insects and fire before putting them up on my castle walls
This is a fascinating article about survival blankets. It feels easily adaptable for home retrofit The 10 Best Survival Blankets In 2022 For Harsh Weather
The second principle of survival blankets is to be water proof. The way this is achieved makes a huge impact on their suitability as house blankets, by which I mean a blanket for the house, not a blanket in the house. Your guide covers this if you know what you are looking for.
Wicking? Is it a barrier or does it allow drying out? Does wool actually win ?
Wicking doesn’t make waterproof but facilitates drying, or wetting. Ideally you want one way wicking, if there is such a thing, away from the wall, with sufficient ventilation to ensure the surface remains dry.
When I was learning mountain craft as a youngster and before a lot of modern fibres, I was taught that wool is the best insulating layer as it works when wet.