We live in an older rental home and almost all the windows are singled paned so before the Arctic weather arrived I went to Home Depot and bought 4 x 8 panels of insulation at $8.95 a sheet. It is it's in the building/contractor section, and is silver on one side and 1/2 an inch white foam on the other.
None of the windows match. Some are little frames 10 inches by 7.5 inches, others are a little larger and a few that are large.
I trimmed and cut pieces to be placed directly on the glass. Silver side touching the glass, white side facing inside the room. From the outside of the house it looks like all the windows are covered with aluminum foil.
I figured out a way to be able to attach and remove the larger pieces of insulation with Velcro strips to hold it in place. Part of the Velcro on the window frame and part on the insulation, so I would have light. Every day at 4 PM I put the insulation back in the windows. We kept the house at 74 and during the night it would drop down to 63-64 in the den.
Well, I just got our electric bill and it was for $182 which is actually $2 cheaper than the electric bill for the same month back in 2009. One of my neighbor's bill was for $354 and another $313 so I guess there was a method to my madness.
I'll probably keep this way and see what my electric bill will be in the summer with air-conditioning.
It would be difficult to remove the insulation that I trimmed to fit the smaller frames but if I ever do, at least they'll be cut for next winter. I'll even write on the back which frame that I removed it from, which window and finally which room.
My father could fix just about anything broken and I'm sure he would of approved of my method of madness. I guess my neighbors must of thought that I was nuts when they saw me working on my windows but it worked.
Source: Myself and a little guidance from my husband.
By CaroleeRose from Madison, AL
Make insulated window shades from quilted bedspreads to insulate your rooms and stay warmer in the winter. First, measure the windows.
Sliding glass doors can be a large heat sink for your home unless they are well insulated. This is a page about insulating sliding glass doors inexpensively.
Older windows can be the source of significant heat loss. If you are unable to install new windows, winterizing them can help conserve energy. This is a page about save energy by winterizing windows.
Older windows might need to be insulated to save energy. Rather than purchase expensive insulation kits try using bubble wrap. This is a page about insulate windows with bubble-wrap.
Windows can allow the summer sun to heat up your home. There are several products that you can try to help insulate them, from pane coverings to drapes.
Winterizing older windows can help keep your home warmer and save you money on heating costs. This is a page about winterizing windows.
We live in a modular home and are having problems with wind forcing cold air into the house around the window frames. Caulking would seem to be one answer. How about using an insulating foam bead? Any other ideas? I am lazy and cheap.
By Bob from Craigsville, WV
What about that foam spray filler that is used to fill cracks? I simply love your parting line, think I know you!
The price of triple pane glazing is almost twice the price of double pane glazing insulated windows. Does anyone have experience putting two double pane ICG's back to back? I am not sure if you would get condensation between them, but certainly the quadruple glazing would be more effective than the triple, for the same price.
I would like to hear some comments from someone who has tried this.As a former property manager, I can tell you this article will help you like it did me. I hope that is what you needed to know!
www.doityourself.com/
I believe that this is what my son plans to do in his energy efficient home, but I do not know if he had some info about this. I have read the article the previous poster, Sandi, gave you, but it did not seem to cover this idea.
My experience using shrinkable plastic on my windows is that the tape strips the wood finish. Not a problem if you have metal, but my new house has wood. Is there something I can do or a product that won't leave a stripe on my windows?
By Ed B.
How about a 'glue stick that children use for school projects' that should prove to be a good suggestion to try at least. The glue stick can be purchased at any Office Depot, WalMart or Kmart around.
I haven't used this for years, however, it was my experience that if one removed the plastic promptly in the spring, it didn't take the paint off nor leave much of a residue. If one left it for years, you'd have a problem.
I live in a old rental home. There are 2 windows in the living room where I always have the blinds shut. I was wondering if regular house insulation would be a viable solution. Any handymen see anything wrong with that? I very rarely use the living room as I use one of the bedrooms as my entertainment room.
By Tom
The Styrofoam sheets would be the easiest for you to use. You just cut them to size and you can reuse every year.
I live in a apartment that doesn't have shutters on the windows. So, in the summertime it gets really warm in the apartment. I decided to buy the biggest foam board out there and cut it down to almost the size of my glass part on my windows.
