Oh yes. You move into an old 70s house, with those big windows. You get someone to make you new curtains (as that is generally a little cheaper). One day you wash one of the sets (thankfully a smaller one). The curtain shrinks immediately, because this was not considered when the curtains were made. You now know you can never wash the big ones. You have to dry-clean your curtains or make new ones. At this point it might just be easier to sell the house again…
Anyway, this can probably be a whole discussion on its own, but I’ve come to hate those old cheap rails with the C-curved thin metal bended rail, the plastic runners, and so forth. I now put up pipes and we use either rings on the pipe that attaches to the curtains (which can costs thousands on their own), or… more recently we installed one pair where the rings are crimped into the curtain itself. What a pleasure! This is now my preferred curtain hanging arrangement, and ironically becoming one of the cheaper options due to the expensive rings you normally have to use.
We also use the pipe versions with curtains designed with holes already in them. Problem is that it is a very “funky” motive on them which we will not find again. And the curtains will hang about 1 meter as the moth/mosquito flies from the closest existing curtains.
For insulation value, double-glazing is a lifelong investment that beats curtains hands-down…
Certain windows in another house I had arched windows, and I had made-to-measure plantation shutters made. There was a choice of two materials, a PVC (coated or full PVC, I can’t remember?) for steamy areas like bathrooms and kitchens.
And a wood-cored option for other areas, but you can’t tell which is which.
These fit in the window cavity and are flush with the walls on the inside.
They open like double doors inwards and have horizontal louvred slats that also open in unison.
I’d say closed they must have an insulation value of maybe 30% of double-glazing, but that’s a complete guess.
They do create a pretty draft-proof type seal for the window cavity and are about 5mm thick.
This sort of deal is good for odd-shaped windows.
With a crazy long warranty, that you won’t ever have to use. They are quality and have lasted 13 years, without any issues.
I can’t remember the price, but they would have been expensive.
Edit: I looked at some contemporary prices, and yes very expensive.
Edit: Found this on the WWW:
ASSESSING THE THERMAL BENEFITS
Studies have consistently demonstrated the superior insulating performance of plantation shutters. According to a study conducted by Historic Scotland, plantation shutters reduced heat loss by up to 51%, while heavy curtains only managed a mere 14% reduction.
I asked for pricing on just the security louvred gates, and it was over 20k for a 2-meter wide door and window combo. So yeah, one of the upsides of living in SA, is you generally don’t need to install expensive windows. On the downside, you also cannot afford to install expensive windows.
We have security shutters on the bedrooms’ doors and windows. I don’t think the security version would be good for insulation. It is made from aluminium (probably PVC/Wood would not make for good security) so it is fairly conductive.
I don’t know where @jykenmynie is located but his questionaire identifies the core issue: how much sun can you bank on.
This winter here in Cape Town has had days of cloudy, cold and wet weather. I doubt whether anyone here is not depending heavily on the grid at the moment.
And having to pay 3x for heating kind of mitigates the price of a heat pump.
Also think of the mental anguish of checking your batteries or looking up to the clouds waiting for the sun to break through
Hit me like a ton of bricks. Electricity bill for April… R1852 (for the whole 600kWh). Bill in June… R5000 (because I bought extra before the prices go up in July), Bill so far for July, R3000, and I’m not going to make it to month end. So my bill at least doubles when the cold weather rolls in.
But, I always have to keep in mind that I replaced a Diesel bill with an electric bill. We don’t spend R2000/month on petrol and diesel anymore. So there is that…
In some ways, it is closer to how it was in the late 90s. The first time I was in the Western Cape, other than when I was really really little (in 1985, and in summer) was in July 1996. As a born Namibian this was something different to me. It was raining the entire time! But not Namibian “shor!” rain, no, this constant dribble that meant I didn’t even bother with an umbrella.
Then from around 2013 to 2019, winters were nice and sunny. But our dams also ran dry…
Now it is closer to how it was in the 90s, except, it is more like a massive downpour and not so much a soft drizzle. So there is change. But there is also a return of the rain, rain which we need. Droughts are no fun. If it is a decision between a drought, and a big winter bill… I’ll pay the bill, thank you.
Same period in the time that I based my “solar expectations” on.
And I agree, water, #DayZero was a interesting time.
EDIT: Must say, this with CoCT checking the water infrastructure (areas for day or more without water), to curb wastage for one, makes me quite chaffed living in Cpt compared to the Gauteng disaster.
The story goes that there was this fellow from Mariental, who upon seeing waters fall from the sky, went entirely catatonic out of sheer shock. They managed to snap him out of it though… only took three buckets of sand.
There might be a bit of usage creep factored in there. I actually produced 100kWh more this June than last June.
I also remember winters from my childhood much wetter, similar to what it has been the last two years.
I’ve not stayed in the Northern Suburbs then, so can’t comment on the severity of the rain, as rainfall can different significantly from area to area, but when I grew up it wasn’t unheard of that Lourensrivier would flood and the caravan park would be under water.
A big issue seems to me the continued expansion of the urban environment without sufficient storm water drainage. In my neighbourhood the stormwater pipes are obviously not up to the task as it cannot cope with rates of precipitation that is really not that out of the ordinary. Luckily we have a large park that serves as a wetland of sorts to absorb most of the water coming down the roads.
Spoke to a friend who mentioned that the farmers around the Cirtrusdal area have been trying to get leave to clean the river from invasive alien species to help with drainage, but this hasn’t been granted. The government is now putting it out for tender apparently, after the second year it flooded.
