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Eclipse Nottingham Thermal Insulated Curtains can be considered cheap insulated curtains. They are among the more popular thermal insulated curtains Walmart and Amazon have to offer. One of their advantages is that they come in several lighter colors which is important for better thermal insulation. We have written in what way lighter colored curtains will increase heat control here and here (this holds true for both front side and back side light color).
If you are short on cash and you prefer a more modern look of insulated grommet curtains, then Eclipse Nottingham Thermal Curtains might be a good choice for you. Walmart often deeply discounts them. If you don’t mind rich, silky look and a more classical look of the back tab hang, we prefer Better Homes and Gardens’ Thermal Faux-Silk Curtain Panel for its better thermal insulation and more durable design. To look into even more expensive and Luxe looking drapes check out our review of Off White Signature Velvet Curtains.
Thermaback Material And Design Of Eclipse Nottingham Thermal Curtains
Eclipse Nottingham are made of 100% polyester employing the very commercially successful Eclipse Thermaback technology. The Thermaback liner is attached to the entire back of the curtain providing its thermal insulation, noise blocking, and blackout.
Installation Is Convenient, Maintenance Easy
Eclipse simply recommends unwrapping the curtain panel and placing it, together with a damp cloth, into a tumble dryer for 20 minutes to remove creases caused by packaging. Then hang immediately. Quite a straightforward procedure. (Note however that some customers had to use steam iron before wrinkles were all out).
Eclipse suggests machine washing these curtains.
Eclipse Nottingham Thermal Curtains Looks And Colors
We like the modern looks of the top grommets on Eclipse Nottingham. The grommets are quite large and will accommodate a decorative rod up to 2.5 inches in diameter. We also like the light shimmer on the front side of the panel.
Eclipse Nottingham comes in these light colors:
- Silver Sage
- Mushroom
- Smoke
- River Blue
and in these darker colors:
- Black
- Chocolate
- Spice
- Plum
A great majority of buyers don’t know this, but if you are buying Eclipse Nottingham for its thermal insulation properties, you will save more money every winter when you buy one of the light colored curtains above. This is because lighter colors absorb less infrared light, and so act as thermal insulator rather than thermal conductor. We wrote more about this in this post and in this children’s thermal curtains review.
Darker colors will have better blackout, though. We wrote about this in this post about white blackout curtains.
Choosing Curtain Dimensions For Better Thermal Insulation
Eclipse Nottingham comes in lengths of 63 inch, 84 inch, and 95 inch. The 84 and 95 inch lengths will both allow the curtain to reach the floor which is what we recommend to prevent convective heat leaks (that is, to prevent the heavy cold air from the cold window falling down and entering the room at the bottom of the curtain).
The standard width of all Eclipse Nottingham panels is 40 inches. You will normally be fine for regular size windows with purchasing 2 panels. If you wish, you can think about purchasing a double rod, and buy 4 panels for more thermal insulation, bigger heating bill savings, and more noise reduction and blackout. Even better, use a double rod and place thermal lining on the inner rod. Check out these two excellent thermal linings: Thermalogic Ultimate Window Lining and Thinsulate Thermal Curtain Lining.
How many panels to buy if you want a decent fullness? Homeowners were happy with the pleat and fullness when they bought 4 panels for a 70″ wide window. A rough estimate for the total combined panel width is twice the width of the window.
Eclipse Nottingham weigh just under 1 lbs per panel, which is heavier than most curtains but nothing out of the ordinary.
Best Features Of These Cheap Insulated Curtains
- Thermaback technology
- 100% polyester materials
- grommet top
- blocks heat transfer
- reduces unwanted outside noise
- significant blackout
- three sizes 40″W x 63″/84″/95″L
Accessories That Enhance Heat Control
A 2.5 inch decorative rod is recommended by the manufacturer. However, anything smaller down to 1 inch will be fine. Note that the smaller the rod diameter, the more you can extend the curtain top, which will help save energy.
To further enhance heat control and save even more energy, you can try a so called “wraparound rod” which lets curtains touch the wall on the sides. Or you can pair these curtains with sheers, or, even better, with a thermal insulating curtain liner such as Thermalogic Ultimate Window Liner or Thinsulate Thermal Curtain Liner and use a double rod for that purpose.
Pros
- easy open and close
- easy installation and maintenance (machine wash)
- great for room darkening while watching daytime TV
- look of expensive curtains, price low
Cons
- wrinkly out of the bag
- big difference in heat control between the dark and the light colors
Buyer Ratings And What Eclipse Nottingham Actually Does For Users
At the time of this review, there were 92 reviews for these curtains with an average star rating of 4.3 out of 5. 89% of responders would recommend these curtains to a friend.
“They look great! They keep the heat and the light out.”
“…economical way to cover the many windows we have…”
“I ordered an other set of 4 for a the sliding glass door.”
“…they don’t look like inexpensive drapes.”
“…curtains keep the house cooler and the electric bill lower!”
“When I received these I was amazed at how expensive they look.”
“Dog proof!”
Read full buyer reviews at Walmart.com.
Verdict
These cheap insulated curtains not only look expensive but are among the best thermal curtains in the price range that Walmart offers. As for the price, among the large online and offline retailers, Walmart has the best offer.
Price And Checkout Questions
When we reviewed the Eclipse Nottingham thermal curtains, they came out to be nearly 20% (twenty percent!) cheaper at Walmart.com than on Amazon.com.
When purchasing please keep in mind that Walmart packages contain 1 panel each.
