So the Stingy Scottish Miser Chronicles continue. Yesterday my wife and I went shopping for thermal (also known as blackout) curtains. I'd read about them in comments on financial blogs but never saw much else in the way of first-person testimony about them.

I figure one day's worth of experience with them is better than no information at all.

First of all, they aren't hard to find as long as you know what to look for. Kmart and JC Penney sell the Eclipse brand of thermal curtain. They aren't terribly expensive either. The cheapest Eclipse curtains at Kmart start at $16 per panel. JC Penney has some that sell for $55 per panel. I'm sure I could find some that are costlier still, but remember, I'm Scottish so I didn't look. So whatever price range you're in, you can find something. Just go wherever you'd normally buy curtains and look for the words "thermal," "blackout," and/or "energy saving."

The curtains don't look terribly weird or anything. They have a white lining that deflects heat, and that's the source of their magic. If you were expecting foam reflective panels like what people put in their car windshields, you can stop worrying.

The principle is sound. When my A/C went out in the dead of July, I combated it by putting white foam board everywhere the sun was coming in. The house stayed noticeably cooler--a couple of degrees at least. I wanted to try it with the A/C running, but my neighbors talk about me enough as it is. White-lined curtains in the window are more socially acceptable than white polystyrene foam.

The package my curtains came in claims a potential 25% savings on your utility bill. If you have awful aluminum windows like me that need replacement desperately, I believe it. If it's true, it'll save me $200 a year until I can replace those windows. A window costs anywhere from $200 to $800 to replace. A set of curtains costs $32 to $200.

The curtains block most night noise and light from the outside, which can be nice. I can see and hear the local commercial district out my back window at night, which can be comforting, but can be annoying when trying to sleep.

The curtains don't completely block direct sunlight but they really cut down on what gets in. We get some intense sun early in the morning in the living room and late in the afternoon in the kitchen and family room. With thermal curtains in the living room, the A/C didn't kick in until 10 am. When I first got up, it was a comfortable 73 degrees in the house.

So if you're renting, or just can't afford new windows, I recommend these. They're a cheap way to pick up some R value around the windows, where it really counts.

And I suppose I'll see in about month just how much they count. I know what my electric bill was last June, and the two Junes before that.

I have no reason to regret the purchase. New windows are still on the horizon, and after that, I'll get thermal blinds. I'll be chasing diminishing returns at that point, but I'll take what I can get. I don't expect energy to get any cheaper.