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Simple Tips for Insulating Your Home's Windows

23 March 2017

Wyatt Patterson

If you know your home's utility bills are too high but can't afford to add new insulation throughout the entire house, you might want to consider how you can just insulate the windows. Your home's windows can often be a major source of energy loss, as they can let in cold air during the wintertime and lots of sunlight during summertime, causing your furnace and air conditioner to work overtime. You don't necessarily need new windows to keep them insulated; note a few simple tips for reducing your energy loss around the home's windows instead.

Weather-stripping

Weather-stripping is a small layer of foam that you apply around draughty windows, to keep them sealed tight; this material comes in rolls, like tape, with a sticky backing behind the foam. To add weather-stripping yourself, close the window and then cut a piece of this foam to fit the height of the channel that the window slides along. Remove the backing and apply the sticky side to this channel and then push it in firmly so it fits tightly. This should seal up any drafts in this area of the windows.

Insulating film

Not all window film actually insulates; some just add a bit of tint for shade. This shade can reduce some sunlight in the summertime, but to really cut down on energy consumption, look for actual insulating film. This film will be made of a thick rubber or plastic that is designed to keep out hot or cold air; it may also have a metallic thread running through it that reflects hot sunlight during summertime, bouncing it off the windows so it doesn't pass through and heat up your home's interior. Some insulating film is meant for outdoor use and it can keep condensation from forming around the windows, also helping to improve the window's insulation.

Motorized blinds

Window blinds can be thick enough to actually keep out cold and hot air; blinds with a dense weave can also block summertime sun. Motorized blinds that you can set with a timer or work remotely can be a perfect solution for when you aren't home, as you can set them to close when the sun it right above certain windows and block that hot sun, and then open again after it gets cooler outside. During winter, you might do the opposite; set them to stay closed in the morning but then open during the day when the sun is up, so your home can get in some heat and not seem so dark and cold.

For more information, contact companies like Illawarra Blinds & Awnings.

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