Plastic Window Insulation

Energy Efficient Shrink Film to Lower Heating Bill

Nov 12, 2007
Tami Port

Starting Window Insulation Project - T Port

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.

Tami Port - Tami Port is a college professor of cell and microbiology and creator of ScienceProfOnline.com, a free science education website.

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!

Oct 11, 2009 5:18 PM

Guest :

We're considering insulating windows with the plastic this fall but I'd like to know how the plastic and double sided tape get removed come springtime? I've read you can put the double sided tape on painted wood but don't want to remove paint when I pull off tape in spring. Also would prefer not to have a labor intensive job removing it. What are your removal recommendations and experiences? FrostKing packages in store and at web site lacks any information on this.
Advance thanks for advice.

Oct 11, 2009 6:13 PM

Tami Port :

Re Oct 11 Comment:

Our window trimming is stained, not painted, so I am unsure of the effect that the double-sided tape would have on paint. In the spring tt easily comes off of stained wood with no difficulty. If I were you, I would get the phone # to the manufacturer of the plastic insulation you are thinking of purchasing and ask them about painted surfaces.

Oct 20, 2009 9:25 AM

Guest :

Now after the windows are treated, how do I stop the echoing effect???

Oct 27, 2009 6:59 AM

Guest :

I use the screen on the windows and apply the sheeting there. It is virtually invisible. You then need to use some "Peel and Seal" caulk around the edge to seal it to the frame. That caulk is clear and made to be easily peeled off later.

Nov 3, 2009 4:20 PM

Guest :

I've been putting plastic on my outside windows for several years but have come accross a problem this year. In the spring when I went to take down the plastic on my front windows - where the plastic film touched the glass on the upper panes - it "melted" to the glass. This side of the house gets intense sunshine in the summer, but winter? Any suggestions on how to remove it, other than trying to scrap it off with my fingernail (ouch!)and suggestions on keeping it from happening again this year would be appreciated. I usually use frostking or 3M product.

Nov 7, 2009 5:47 AM

Guest :

I've used this before and it works well, and is cheap. My issue is that it will remove paint from wood once it comes off in the spring. I'd like to find something that is a little more seasonally permanent... maybe clear plastic panes sized to the window with some kind of invisible adhesion system (to the frame so as to block drafts). Does anyone know of such a system. It would be $1000's less than all new windows, but clearly much more than the cheap, disposable film

Dec 6, 2009 6:30 PM

Tami Port :

Just insulated the kids windows with plastic insulation for the third winter. House already feels warmer. On the first window tried to save time by not wiping the frame down with a damp rag. Bad idea. Tape was not secure due to all the grime on the frame and had to redo. Don't try shortcuts...I just takes longer. None the less, four windows done in a little over an hour, and who knows how many hundreds of dollars saved over the winter. A job well done!!

Dec 11, 2009 4:31 PM

Guest :

The problem with these kits is that insufficent two sided tape is provided. They are not available for separate purchase Hence I have had to buy twice as many kits as needed. I'm cosidering opting to buy ridged plastic, frame it and install each winter. In the long-run, I'll save money and time.

Dec 11, 2009 4:40 PM

Tami Port :

To the Dec 11th 2009 Guest:

We get the Frost King Extra Large Window Insulation Kit and always have just a little double sided tape left over once the plastic os used up. Have you tried that brand?

Dec 21, 2009 9:17 AM

Guest :

HUGE installation INSIGHT.
My wife invented this: She got a shipping box from the basement, maybe 6-8" square, cut a hole in the bottom to fit hairdryer in. Then you slide the open side of the box along with HOT hairdryer on full heat & fan to shrink. It is 20 times faster! Works amazing! And didn't melt any holes. It seems to put the perfect heat on a 8"x8" square that shrinks instantly. You just go over the entire window about the speed as if you were spray painting one light coat, and it's perfect.

Apr 20, 2010 8:54 AM

Guest :

Hi im in science right now working on a project for window and insulation and Im not finding good things

May 7, 2010 7:06 PM

Valerie123 :

Interesting points and ideas about eco-friendly products. It is really important to know the most effective eco-friendly products in market and from what company we should get it from. “Green” oriented sites such as http://www.TintBuyer.com are also doing their share in helping others in pursuing green living. They discuss how window tints can be labeled as one of the most effective ways to conserve energy consumption, in our home, office or car, it is a practical way to save money from energy bills while caring for the environment. While most window films are for reducing solar heat gain in the summer, low-e films both block summer heat and improve winter heat retention. Having windows tinted could save more on electric bills, at the same time it lessen the carbon emission in our atmosphere which is very crucial in preventing further harm humans and the environment.

Feb 3, 2011 7:46 AM

Guest :

Does this provide good surface protection for the windows against dirt? This sounds awesome, but I just wonder if it will make the windows harder to clean.

http://www.buildsitepro.com

Oct 31, 2011 4:31 PM

Guest :

I think this article requires readers to buy and install plastic film every year, eating up a lot of your heat savings. At a house I owned 15 years ago I made frames out of 3/4" wood, using double sided tape I put shrink on both sides. On the edges I used V seal tape. In the spring I stored in my basement. Heating bills dropped by 2/3. Takes time and more expensive up front but much more savings and a lot less work over the years.

I'm going to make them for my current 4500sf house. The entire back and west side is glass. Hundreds of sf of glass. Four windows are 6'x6'. Instead of buying kits, I've found 84"x25' rolls of film. Rather than wood I'll use aluminum screen frames.

18 Comments