Plastic Window Insulation

Energy Efficient Shrink Film to Lower Heating Bill

Nov 12, 2007

Making your home more energy efficient doesn't have to be expensive. Cheap, easy to install shrink film can keep heat or air conditioning from flying out the window.

Window insulation kits are typically in stock at home supply and hardware stores, and, for less than ten dollars, you can usually get a kit that will insulate 5 standard size windows or at least one extra large window.

Kits typically include:

1 plastic shrink film sheet
1 roll of double-sided adhesive

To complete the job, you will also need:

A sharp pair of scissors or a razor
Hand-held hair dryer

Take Down Shades and Curtains

Avoid placing the plastic insulation in an area where you will have to remove any window hardware. Just take down the shade, curtain or blind so that you can clearly see the window and determine where to apply the adhesive.

Clean the Window Frame

First choose the area around the perimeter of the window that you will be applying the double-sided tape to. If your window has a frame, this is the best choice. To ensure that the tape sticks, first clean and dry your window frame.

Apply Adhesive

Measure the width and height of the area that you will be applying the adhesive to.
Cut and apply one strip at a time, pressing firmly along the length of the tape.
Repeat this for each area until you a continuous square of adhesive applied around the entire window frame.
After you have pressed down firmly on the entire length of adhesive, wait 15 minutes to ensure that it has time to adhere securely.
Leave the adhesive backing on until you are ready to apply the plastic.

Apply Plastic Film

The plastic film is typically in one long, folded sheet. Cut a section large enough so to ensure that you have at least one inch of overhang on all sides.
Remove the plastic backing from the tape across the top of the frame and apply the upper two corners of the sheet to the adhesive.
After corners are hung, press along the length of the top strip so that the plastic is secured all the way across.
Repeat this process on each side. Secure the film to the bottom of the frame last.

Shrinking the Film

Use a hand-held hairdryer to shrink the film so that it fits tightly across the window.
Using the highest heat setting, begin at one of the corners and slowly move the dryer across the film until all of the wrinkles have disappeared.
Be sure NOT to let the dryer touch the plastic. It will melt and you’ll have to start all over.

Finishing the Job

After you’ve smoothed out the film using the hair dryer, use a sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to trim off the excess plastic outside of the adhesive strip.
Re-hang your shades, curtain or blinds.

With simple weatherstripping you have now increased the energy efficiency of your windows and prevented your hard-earned dollars from seeping through the cracks.

More Home Improvement Projects

For information on other ways to save money on your heating and electrical bill, see the Suite101 articles Home Energy Savings and Energy Efficient Home, and for other doable home improvement projects, see the articles Boy’s Room Decorating Ideas and Chalkboard Paint Ideas.

The copyright of the article Plastic Window Insulation in Saving Energy is owned by Tami Port. Permission to republish Plastic Window Insulation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Comments

Jan 11, 2009 3:11 PM

Guest :

My gas and electric bills in the winter are >$500 and we're freezing. Our home is only 6yr old, however, we apparently have cheap builder grade windows and doors. We can not afford to replace all windows at this time. We're going to try using plastic insulation for all or most of our windows. The most drafty are the 11 windows on the front of our home. Our neighbor who did replace their front windows now has bills in the $150 range!! I can't wait to see how this works. I dread the look of plastic, but worth a shot. I guess it comes off easily in the spring?

Jan 11, 2009 4:26 PM

Tami Port :

Plastic on windows can be nearly invisible if you use the hair dryer (heat) to shrink the plastic (per instructions in the kit) and trim the edges well. I did it and I'm a toddler mommie and college prof egghead (no special home renovation skills)! The plastic comes off very easily when you want to remove it in the spring. Another suggestion...we have six big windows in the front of our great room and two sliding doors in the house. Like yours, our windows are single paned and drafty. We have just ordered insulated drapes through JC Penny (at great sale prices...insulated curtains for six big windows and two sliders for less than $300). We are hoping that this will be a good solution for cutting heating costs as well. I'll post another comment at the end of winter to let readers know how the curtains have worked out for us.

Jan 12, 2009 12:17 AM

Guest :

We live,in the Northeast, and use plastic to cover our windows. Our energy bills are down more than 50% every year. We also use insulating drapes, both summer and winter. Good investment to keep cold out, in winter, and heat out in summer.

Jan 16, 2009 7:35 AM

Guest :

I'm so glad I found this! We are renting our home an the windows are obviously very cheaply made because the house is freezing. Our energy bill doubled because we had to keep the heat going constantly! I will definitely share this with others in my community with similar issues and post the outcome next month when we get our next bill. Thanks for posting this!

4 Comments