First make sure all of your windows work.  Find out if your windows need basic repairs or leaks that need to be sealed.  Restricting air flow at the bottom of your windows is a key to saving energy.

Letting direct sunlight into your rooms in the winter can help warm the room and adds more heat than is lost.  Drapes should stack off windows to allow maximum sunlight in the winter.  Horizontal blinds, require more frequent cleaning, but also allow more sunlight to enter rooms than vertical blinds.  This is due to the angle of the slats.

Draperies are the most common type of window treatment.  More folds and fuller drapes result in more trapped air.  Lined drapes are better insulators than un-lined drapes.  Separate liners are slightly better than attached linings.  Combine the right types of window treatments for more energy savings.

Light colors reflect while dark colors absorb.  Light colored materials reflect 80% of sunlight and should be placed closest to the glass.  Use dark colors on the interior of your window treatments.  They absorb 88% of sunlight and increase heat in the room.

Metal conducts heat and cold so think about using wood, faux wood or acrylic instead.  Fuzzy, rough and textured fabrics absorb radiant heat.

Fabrics that are tightly woven reflect air better than loosely woven fabrics, which allow air to penetrate the room.  Quilted, foam back, or suede back drapes also work as air traps.

Saving money on your utility bill, can be as easy as changing your window treatments.

Drapery Rods can also match or mismatch your draperies. This can be a good or a bad thing. While at the same time you don’t want something that looks too plain, you also want 2 opposite colors that compliment each other. Lets say you are going with heavy insulated draperies and you want to get rods that will work well with them. You may want to opt for the double drapery rods. And whether you decide to go with wooden drapery rods or a bronze drapery rod will be up to you. Just remember that if its a light color you will want to go dark and vice versa.

You may want to consider the fact that you may have animals that might pose a challenge and jump on your window draperies. A wise decision may be to go with a tension drapery rod or a finial drapery rod so if they pull on it you know it wont fall down so easily. And of course make sure to get the right drapery rod hardware to fit the right one purchased. If you don’t want that hassle they have a drapery rod set at most home and garden type stores. Sometimes you can get some really good deals and discounts during winter months just after the holidays.

Hopefully you already have existing drapery rod brackets that you can reuse. But if they have broken or are just old and brittle, make sure to pick those up while you are out. The older drapery hardware gets, the more brittle and prone to breaking it gets which will be bad if the draperies get damaged.

If you just want to eliminate most of the hassle on your own, then call a professional blinds and window coverings expert to help you with the new draperies you have selected. The installation will be a lot faster in most cases if you allow them to do the job.