Blackout Curtains for Prepping
and Survival
Blackout Curtains are a great way to lower the heat in rooms used for food storage.
Also to lower heat in sleeping areas when the A/C is out.
Simply close the door to the room with the curtains. Keeps it dark and cooler.
Blackout curtains have three main functions:
Block light, block noise, reduce energy costs.
Some brands of blackout curtains claim to block up to 99% of light.
Blackout curtains can keep heat in during the winter and keep
heat out during the summer.
Up to 25% of thermal energy loss goes out through the windows.
Blackout curtains were used in Britain during World War 2 to block
interior light from planes.
If a pilot saw light coming from a building, the pilot was likely to bomb that structure.
Now imagine in a shtf event or disaster, the bad guys can't find you at night.
A neighbor, with his oil lamps running, will be a beacon to bandits without blackout curtains.
My closest neighbor, who lives 600 feet way, can't see my lights on at night.
But let's get into the nuts and bolts of why I went with Blackout Curtains.
I never purchased them for security reasons or SHTF events but to save money.
The fact that they've turned into a great security measure is just a bonus.
Before the curtains, here in Florida, my electric bill was approx. $135 per month.
After the curtains, that dropped to $105 per month or a savings of $360 annually.
I saw a $30 a month drop in my electric bill on the very first month.
Or approx. 20% savings per month.
My main windows face south and those windows are the ones I keep closed during the day.
The other window curtains remain open during the day. No direct sun on them.
I do keep my west facing room curtains closed for my food storage to keep cooler.
Who knows what I'd save if I closed them all but then it would be like a tomb.
But during the night I do feel it keeps the cool in. I have no evidence of that however.
Now some will say that, during a shtf event, they can simply cover their windows with
black plastic trash bags. Trash bags will actually raise the temperatures in your house.
Black plastic is actually a well known heat collector so not the best idea.
Why do you think that solar panels are made with a black plastic coating?
Certainly not to repel sunlight, but to help collect it.
ZERO insulation values to trash bags so it's only the security issue you've solved,-- maybe?
While many people already have blinds installed,
this does little to solve heat
or security issues.
With 10 windows in my house, at approx. $30 per window, it's not rocket science to
see
they paid for themselves in the first year.
The blackout curtains have now been in for 6 years for a total savings of $2,160.
When purchasing, get the darkest color you can stand.
I went with dark blue as
can be seen below.
Light is not totally blocked as you can see at noon in Florida but much, much
darker.
Makes watching TV during the day nicer too.
There are many options and versions of blackout curtains but here's a link to get you started.
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Hurricanes
