Blinds or Curtains? An Honest Comparison for NZ and Australian Homes

We sell blinds. So take this article for what it is, and check the sources at the bottom yourself.

But we'd rather tell you the truth than sell you the wrong thing, and the truth is that for some windows in some rooms, curtains are the better answer. Here's how to work out which is which.

The short version

• Coldest room in the house, single glazing, warmth above everything else? Heavy lined floor-length curtains, or honeycomb blinds, still edge it — though see the section below, because zebra blinds do more here than most comparisons credit.
• Want daylight and a view without the neighbours seeing in? Zebra blinds. Curtains can't do this at all.
• Bathroom, kitchen, laundry? Blinds. Fabric curtains and steam are a poor combination.
• Bedroom you actually sleep in? Either, and honestly both together works best.

If that's all you needed, you're done. The detail is below.

Warmth: the honest picture

Windows are where New Zealand homes leak heat. BRANZ research puts heat loss through windows at somewhere around 42 to 45 percent in houses built to pre-2007 insulation standards. That's close to half your heating going out the glass.

EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) is clear that both curtains and blinds reduce heat loss through single glazed windows, and that simply closing them before dark can save around $80 to $90 a year. Energywise figures put the reduction at up to 60 percent on single glazing and 40 to 50 percent on double glazing.

How a zebra blind is actually built, which most comparisons get wrong

A zebra blind is not a single sheet of fabric. It's one continuous loop that runs down the front of the window, wraps around the bottom rail, and returns up the back to the tube.

So when the blind is down, you have two layers of fabric with a pocket of air between them. Not one.

That matters, because insulation is mostly about trapping still air. Two layers with air between them will do more than a single-layer roller blind, and most blinds-versus-curtains comparisons never mention it, because they treat every roller-type blind as the same thing.

But here's the limit, and we're not going to talk around it

The biggest source of heat loss past any interior window covering isn't the fabric. It's the air that gets around it.

Cold air falls down the face of a cold window. If your covering doesn't seal at the top, sides and bottom, that cold air spills into the room and draws warm room air back over the top to replace it. You end up quietly circulating your heating past the coldest surface in the house.

Two layers of fabric don't stop that. A tight perimeter does.

Consumer NZ tested this. Their conclusion: if you're replacing window coverings for warmth, honeycomb blinds are the best option, and if you prefer curtains, choose heavy lined ones that reach the floor and are wide enough to cover the whole frame. Honeycomb wins because it does both things — sealed air cells and a snug fit.

So in a cold single-glazed room where warmth beats everything else, a well-fitted lined curtain to the floor is still the stronger choice. We'd rather you heard that from us.

How to get the most warmth out of a zebra blind

If you want a blind and you also want it working as hard as it can in winter:

• Choose an outside mount with generous overlap. This is the one most people get backwards. An inside mount looks tidier, but it leaves a gap down each side inside the reveal. An outside mount that extends well past the frame covers those gaps and seals far better.
• Go blockout rather than semi-blockout. Heavier, denser fabric.
• Mind the gap at the bottom. A blind that stops short of the sill lets the cold air spill straight out.
• Layer curtains over the top in the coldest rooms. More on that below.

One thing we won't claim

Our fabric is a water-resistant polyester blend. That's genuinely useful in bathrooms, kitchens and laundries, and it's why the blinds handle damp rooms well.

It is not the same thing as insulation, and we're not going to dress it up as one. Water resistance and thermal performance are different properties.

If you already have curtains: Consumer NZ found that a rolled towel laid on top of the curtain rail works about as well as a pelmet, by closing the gap that lets warm air escape over the top. It costs nothing.

Australia has the opposite problem

Most of what's written about window coverings in this part of the world is about keeping heat in. Across much of Australia the harder job is keeping it out.

That flips the answer. Heat gain is about intercepting sun before it becomes heat in the room, which is why exterior shading, awnings and eaves do more than anything you hang inside. Of the interior options, a light-coloured, reflective fabric does more than a heavy dark one, which absorbs heat and then radiates it back into the room.

Here the double-layer construction works in your favour again — two layers between you and the glass, and you can close the solid stripes against the harsh middle of the day, then slide them open in the evening without losing the window entirely. One of our customers uses hers exactly this way in a conservatory, which is the hardest room in any house for heat.

"I had questions about the blinds and colours which Joseph answered... the result was exactly what we wanted in our conservatory."
— Ron T., verified buyer

Light and privacy: this is where blinds genuinely win

Curtains are binary. Open, and everyone sees in. Closed, and you've lost the daylight and the view.

A zebra blind isn't. The two striped layers slide against each other, so you can have filtered daylight with privacy at the same time. That's the entire reason the product exists.

"Perfect for daytime privacy without blocking the view, then provide blackout at nighttime."
— Lady Judi G.

"These are just perfect for filtering light in a room with computer or television screens that you're not going to be sleeping in."
— Emma C., verified buyer

If daytime privacy without darkness is your actual problem, no curtain solves it. Sheers come closest, and then you're hanging two sets of curtains.

Damp, steam and mould

New Zealand and Australian housing both have damp problems, and bathrooms, kitchens and laundries are where they show first.

Fabric curtains in a steamy room hold moisture. They're slow to dry, awkward to wash, and in a poorly ventilated bathroom they'll eventually smell. A water-resistant blind wipes down and dries.

"My husband installed these in our renovated bathroom. They are perfect for the job — provide privacy but still let lots of light in."
— Mary H., verified buyer

Worth being straight about the limit though: no window covering fixes damp. Ventilation does. Extractor fans, opening windows, and getting moisture out of the room. A blind just won't make it worse the way a wet curtain will.

Cleaning and upkeep

Curtains need taking down, washing or dry cleaning, and rehanging. Venetians need slat-by-slat dusting, which is the job everyone hates.

"Love my new blinds, replaced Venetians with zebra, no more cleaning yukky slats and house looks modern again."
— Yvonne H., verified buyer

A roller-type blind is a flat surface you wipe. That's the whole maintenance routine.

Cost

Curtains cost more than people expect once you add lining, track, and making up. Blinds are usually cheaper per window, and made-to-measure blinds bought online are cheaper again, because you're not paying for a consultant to drive out and measure.

"I compared three different suppliers and found Zebrablinds to be 1/4 of the price for a similar blind elsewhere."
— Wendy J., verified buyer

The trade-off is that you measure. If that's not for you, a consultant-based supplier is a legitimate choice and we'd rather you used one than got it wrong.

Renting?

Curtain tracks mean drilling into walls and negotiating with a landlord. Most rentals already have a track, so new curtains on the existing track is often simplest.

Blinds need brackets fixed to the frame or wall, so ask first. The advantage is they come with you, and a made-to-measure blind is sized to that window and no other, which is worth thinking about if you move often.

The answer most people actually want: both

This isn't a fence-sit. Layering genuinely is the best-performing setup in a cold room, and it's what a lot of well-put-together houses do.

A blind handles the daytime: glare, privacy, light control, the view. Lined curtains draw over the top at night and do the thermal work. You get the daytime flexibility of a blind and the night-time warmth of a curtain, and neither is compromised.

If you're doing a whole house on a budget, a reasonable split is blinds through kitchen, bathroom, laundry and hallways, and blinds plus curtains in bedrooms and the main living room.

So when should you not buy from us?

Buy curtains, or honeycomb blinds, if:

• Your main problem is a freezing single-glazed room and warmth beats absolutely everything else
• You want a soft, traditional look that a roller-type blind won't give you
• You want full blackout with no light gap at the edges at all

Buy zebra blinds if:

• You want daylight and privacy at the same time
• It's a wet or steamy room
• You want low maintenance
• Your joinery is modern and curtains would look heavy
• Budget matters and you're happy to measure

If you're not sure which side you fall on, email us at shop@zebrablinds.co.nz and describe the room. We'll tell you honestly, including when the answer is curtains.

Sources

• EECA — Window insulation for home energy efficiency
• Consumer NZ — The best curtains and blinds for keeping the heat in

BRANZ research on heat loss through windows is widely cited in the New Zealand building sector. If you're making a significant decision about insulation or glazing, talk to an energy assessor rather than a blind retailer.

Next steps

Decided on blinds? Read how to measure your windows before you order — it's the step that goes wrong most often, and if warmth matters to you, the outside mount and overlap advice in there is worth reading twice.

Still choosing fabric? Order the fabric catalogue. Screen colour is unreliable and most people change their mind once they see the samples in their own light.