The temperature is really starting to drop. I'm just glad there isn't much snow for now. We bought some plastic sheets from Dollar General and now we have them duck taped all around the windows in The House. You can see all the air that was coming from the windows being trapped by the plastic. One lady told me to use a hair drier to tighten up the plastic. I've even seen people put plastic outside the window versus inside like most people would.
I have some of that but since my windows are double glazed already, my roommate said it wouldn't help much. I usually only put my heat on if it is really necessary anyway. I have had only had it on a couple of times. I get plenty of sun here as we have lots of windows and the sun is pretty strong. so, I think I will forget about the plastic..
I do this too because my blinds are unfortunately a bit beat up and I haven't had the chance to replace them yet so the sunlight gets in way too much or at least more than I would be comfortable with. I especially hate it during the morning when I know I should be getting a lot more sleep but I have to get up just because the sun is already shining on my eyes. I'm planning on putting up some garbage bags inside but I prefer it to be retractable since I don't want it to be permanently dark.
Before we replaced our windows we used to do this to our windows. It really helps keep the cold air out if you have drafty windows. It can make a difference in your heating bill. There are also insulating kits you can get to put behind your wall plates for lights and electrical outlets. They are easy to install and don't cost too much. Again they will help reduce the amount of cold air coming if your walls are not well insulated.Log In
I might try putting plastic on the outside of one window in the kitchen. I had been putting it on the inside but it was hard putting it up and I don't want to deal with that this year. When you think about it the wind would just blow over the window completely if the plastic and tape aren't blown away. hmmm..
I was meaning to try this, because I saw someone had posted about it, i believe it was last year. I wasn't aware you could buy the plastic in many stores, rather than having to special order it or go to a particular store. How does it look once it's on the windows? Does it block your view or distort your vision when you try to look out? I might still get some, but it would probably be of more use in the summer down here, since it's way too hot. It's been a pretty mild winter, so I'd forgotten about getting some until I saw this thread.
There are different thicknesses of plastics some thin enough to see through others thick enough not to which I would use in a place where it wasn't noticeable. We've got warmer weather heading our way in the next few days I have one window that I want to try doing this to. As far as appearance I think in my case I wouldn't care about that over the expectation of reducing my heating costs this winter. It all depends on the individual homeowner and also if there are ordinances against doing this.
I could probably use whatever I wanted here, with no issue about ordinances. There is one home in the neighborhood that still has big XXXs across the windows from Hurricane Ike, in 2008. I thought the house was condemned/abandoned, but I've seen vehicles there quite a bit, so I guess not. There's no HOA here, which is both good and bad. I saw some of this pastic sold online at Ace Hardware in the past and had considered getting it. I think I'll check into it again. It's a coldish blustery day here, and it's amazing how much of a draft comes through the doors and windows. I'd probably get thin ones, since I would want to be able to see through them, and I probably wouldn't use the hair dryer to tighten them up, because that would no doubt interfere with my view.
Ours is the opposite. During summer and even in early summer, our dining area is directly hit by the rays of the afternoon sun. To protect the dining table which holds the fruits (bananas or any fruits we usually have) we cover the window with a car shade. Yes, that cardboard for the windshield to deflect the sun's rays, that's what we use instead of installing curtains for cover. And the sun is only there from around 3pm to 5pm so the car shade is convenient.
