Here are some people chatting about tinkering to save money:
Yeah I saw that and noticed Glynn and also that they had reached out to a spokesperson from Home Assistant. These guys will be famous one day 
from reading the article - "For people who haven’t got double glazing… " -
here a tid bit on energy saving and reducing your energy needs
we do this in Canada a lot ( do not know if you have the same over the pond as i never notice it on my travels ) , they sell a shrink wrap that we put around windows to improve their efficiency and R rating .
even thought I have triple pane I still use it as it creates a nice air insulation barrier . and no matter how good the windows are, there are always a draft when it windy, also when it very cold it eliminates the feeling of cold air just pouring off the glass . our windows open outwards, so the stronger the wind the tighter the seal , in Europe you tend to have windows that open inwards so drafts increase as it gets windier . I do not buy the shrink wrap so much i prefer vinyl and double sided tape tape around the casement and then stick the vinyl to it ( and you can reuse it over and over for years) you can put it on inside or the outside of the window if you like . if the house is particularly old and drafty and lacking insulation we wrap the entire outside perimeter of the house with plastic. and create an air bubble around the house - doing these things will reduce heating by 10 - 80 % depending on the house and what condition it is in
– I also find using paint tape going around the window to seal off the draft from the outside helps alot then when it warmer just peel it off
They mostly open outwards here in the UK. Shutters on domestic properties are not very common here, so that might be part of the reason.
It’s a shame he hasn’t got a GitHub page to describe that unit.