Save heat, money, and energy with easy pelmets for your windows

 by startree
You lose a stack of energy around the windows of your house, even if you have blinds and curtains, and (apparently) you can save something like 15% of your energy  just by adding pelmets to your windows.

So I asked at the curtain shop how much it would be for pelmets, and they quoted me something outrageous (I can't recall now what) and times that by however many windows I have it was incredibly outrageous. As I'm a miser with a cordless driver, i thought about it for a bit and decided to make my own.

After a little working out, with a few mistakes here and there, for about $40 a pelmet (mine are a little over 2m long) my house is toasty warm for the coming winter and I'm a happy little vegemite.

It's quite easy even if you don't have your own workshop. I went to Bunnings and asked them to cut the timber to my precise measurements (and they did, give or take one or three mm - if i'm fussy i get them to cut to the lengths that fit in my car and cut to precision at home) and the smaller pieces i needed i cut myself. You'll need a drill and a screwdriver, some 6g wood screws, some cup hooks, and (for masonry walls) some dynabolts and a hammer drill. And some filler, paint, some curtain rods.

As an added bonus you can also use the top of the pelmet as a bookshelf if you need some extra shelving.

So in a day you can have pelmets (and curtains) as easy as pie. Not as tasty tho...

And to be completely scientific, you can check the temperature of your  room before pelmets, to compare to the after pelmet improvement.

If like me you want to know why it works, google 'how pelmets work' or go to: www.perthhomeinspector.com.au/pelmets-for-efficiency.html
So it seems pelmets don't just help you keep warm air in during winter, but helps keep your cool air in when the heat outside increases as well.

p.s if you like this 'ible, please rate me, i like the feedback :)
 
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Step 1: Measure the windows

window no pelmet.JPG
Measure your windows. Measure each window and don't assume they are the same - i have three '1.8'm identical windows with openings that actually measured in at 1795, 1805 and 1810. Anyway, measure up and write down your measurements for each window - to the outside frame or inside of the window space.

Add however much you need to the side of the windows so your curtains can sit to the side and not block the window. That'll depend on how much curtain you need - wider windows = more curtains;  thicker curtains = wider pelmets.

I wanted thick material to insulate against the cold, so I wanted to add at least 120mm - 100 mm for the curtains and 18 mm thickness of the end of the pelmet.

I used 138 x 18 mm pre primed pine board, about $7 a linear metre.

grannyjones says: Jan 18, 2012. 8:07 AM
The pelmets look like a perfect spot for kitties,
so long as you provide access.
startree (author) in reply to grannyjonesJan 18, 2012. 1:29 PM
Haha ! Of course, and all sorts of other pets, lizards, gargoyles, parrots... You could build a ladder off the side and a little cubby on top if you really got keen :)
magicexp says: Jan 16, 2012. 9:46 PM
Love the idea I was looking for a fix for curtains on my Patio Sliding door. I have Kitchen cabinets on one side and some wall space on the other. I cant support a rod in the middle Because of no place to put curtains on the opening side and I can't open them fully because of a center support. I used a piece of conduit as a rod to solve this but now the hangers are pulling out of the wall. The conduit can fit into it really nice end to end and there is energy savings on top of it!
startree (author) in reply to magicexpJan 17, 2012. 3:07 PM
Good luck with your project - if you go ahead with it, do post some photos! i'd love to see how it works out.
WonkotheSane says: Sep 8, 2011. 3:42 PM
Great job and really well illustrated. We just moved back to Colorado and it gets cold here in Gunnison. This should help quite a bit :)
startree (author) in reply to WonkotheSaneSep 11, 2011. 3:51 PM
Thanks Wonko :) they have really made my life much more livable in a cool climate! Let me know how you go and post pics (if that's possible)
Cr4zy_Dud3_0n_F1r3 says: Sep 26, 2010. 4:20 PM
Google Sketchup?
startree (author) in reply to Cr4zy_Dud3_0n_F1r3Sep 27, 2010. 3:46 AM
indeed i did! :)
ChrysN says: May 26, 2010. 4:07 PM
Great! Saves energy and looks nice too.
vadios says: May 26, 2010. 2:17 AM
Cool instructable. I like the idiea because I didn't even hear that without those pelmets  we loose heat. Moreover they look great! Thanks for the idea!
startree (author) in reply to vadiosMay 26, 2010. 3:32 PM
Thanks. We can spend stacks of money on thermal curtains, but then lose the benefit without something like this to trap the air.
CaseyCase says: May 25, 2010. 10:35 PM
 How interesting. I am definitely going to do this! Never heard the term "pelmet" before--I assumed a valance was the same thing. Had no clue of the functionality of the pelmet. After doing some further internet research, it makes perfect sense to install them. Thank you!
startree (author) in reply to CaseyCaseMay 25, 2010. 10:48 PM
you're most welcome! thanks for the feedback and hope to hear how yours go.
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