I’ve got an old garage door which I happen to like very much. Unfortunately, by the time I bought it, technology was far from being what it is today, therefore it sucks when it comes to the R-value. The garage gets very cold and because it communicates with the rest of the house, I need to use an additional heater in order to compensate for thermal exchanges. I heard from one of my friends that I can buy a garage door insulation kit and save a lot of money. I’m afraid he’s totally wrong about that and that I’d buy that useless kit, then spend a whole afternoon to install it, only to come to the conclusion that I need a new door or another kind of insulation, more efficient.

Has any of you used such insulation kits? If so, are you happy with them so far? I really want to keep my old door which is so beautiful, but our comfort (and the electricity bills) come first.

If you’re paying too much for heating your home in winter, maybe it’s time to consider installing some nice thermal insulated curtains at your windows. They are maybe the cheapest way of insulating your rooms, because the fabric they are made of is not so expensive and you can make them yourself if you know how to sew two pieces of fabric together.

The main action a thermal curtain has is that it stops the cold air from advancing towards the center of the room. Yes, there’s a layer of cold air onto the glass surface of your windows, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that. As cold air is attracted to move towards hot air, this movement will create those air drafts that can be so embarrassing. A think, insulating curtain will stop them, because cold air and hot air won’t mix together anymore.

For the thermal curtain to work at its maximum efficient, you’ll have to secure it against the wall on all four sides. Some magnets and metallic tracks would do the trick. Another idea is to use Velcro tape: stick one strip on the wall and sew the other strip on the curtain edge. The effect is guaranteed.