Window Coverings

Review: Plastic Window Insulation

For any cold climate dweller, the fall season means not just beautiful leaves but also time to prepare the house for winter.  The lawn mower gets shuffled to the back of the shed and the snowblower takes the prime parking spot up front, straw is spread over the less cold-tolerant plants, outdoor faucets are drained and covered.  This year, I took on another winterization task: covering the windows with that thin plastic sheeting as an extra sealant between our heated home and the cold outdoors.  Windows are a big source of heat loss in any house, and cold drafts are tangible around older or ill-fitting windows, all contributing to higher heating bills.  The plastic sheeting is a relatively inexpensive way to seal up leaky windows and increase comfort.  The installation process for these temporary indoor window coverings involves using double-sided tape around the window frame, sticking down a sheet of plastic, then using a hair dryer to smooth and tighten the plastic.  Ambitiously, I purchased several boxes worth, enough to do most of the windows in the house.  However, the task kept getting put off.  The simplified instructions on the box couldn’t fool me, I knew it would be time consuming, but little did I know how onerous a job it would turn into.

I waited until much too late into the cold season (think post-Christmas), which was a big mistake.  The window frames were cold, so the tape didn’t stick very well, adding to the difficulty and frustration of trying to keep the plastic straight while securing and smoothing it.  I found the process cumbersome, but an extra pair of hands to help hold the plastic taut and in-place would make it easier.  Also, I was not able to smooth out the plastic completely with the hair dryer, some wrinkles and ripples remained, but fortunately it does not detract from the view out the windows too much.  Ultimately, I gave up after completing four windows (the quality of my installations got progressively worse as patience diminished).  On the upside, though, once installed, I could no longer feel the cold drafts that had previously blown through as I ran my hand around the edge of the windows.  Thanks to it effectively sealing, comfort is increased when sitting near windows, so I ranked it pretty high in health and safety.  In terms of financial savings, 3M has a savings calculator where you can input your window and heating parameters.  Of course this estimate is going to be on the high end, but even with a portion of these savings, at a cost around several dollars per window for materials, the savings pays off in colder climates and for older windows.  With respect to eco-livability, I give it mixed reviews.  After the installation there is no maintenance until spring when the plastic comes down, but with the effort involved with putting it up, I probably wouldn’t go through the hassle if my heating season were not so long or if I had new and high efficiency windows.  I should mention, too, after trimming the excess plastic around the edges down to about an inch, the plastic sheeting is not too unsightly (at least it didn’t have the shanty-feel I had feared).  Regarding sustainability, this insulation will save some amount of heat, depending on your climate and existing window quality, equating to fossil fuels and emissions saved.  On the other hand, though, there is substantial waste involved – this is a lot of plastic that will end up trashed at the first signs of spring.  There are reusable kits available with mounting clips that stay up year round on the window frame, but I’m wondering if I can reuse my disposable plastic again next year?  Perhaps if I reverse sides so fresh tape can be used, and of course store it neatly to prevent tears.  Otherwise, perhaps these big plastic rectangles can be reused as small drop cloths for children’s art time, or even taped around shelving for a mini indoor greenhouse for starting seeds in spring.  In summary, will I attempt this chore again next year?  Yes, but I will make sure someone else is around to share in the pain because it is definitely a two-person job.

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