House Insulation Tips

Plugging A Common Energy Escape Route

As you prepare for the next harsh winter or excruciatingly hot summer, you may want to consider a complete home insulation update.  Many people are familiar with the basic concept of insulation, but have little idea as to the amount of energy (and money) that is lost from living in an under-insulated home.  And, one of the overlooked keys to an adequately insulated home is proper window insulation.

You might wonder how in the world you should go about insulating your windows.  Well, there are many things that you can do as DIY projects so as to avoid the cost of a contractor.   Whether you are trying to prepare for a frigid Minneapolis winter or a stifling Phoenix summer, you can do several things to make your home more comfortable and to make the impact of your energy bill easier to stomach.

For cold weather you can prepare by doing a few basic weatherizing updates to your windows.  Start off by adding rubber weather strips to the perimeter of all windows.  This will help seal off any small gaps that might be causing warm air to escape.  You should also add window insulation film to the windows.  Pick this film up at just about any hardware store or home improvement center.

To make the job of widow insulating easier, you should probably consider buying a kit.  Plastic film, adhesives and easy-to-follow instructions will make the job a snap.  3M makes a wide variety of insulation kits that spell everything out so that even the novice DIY homeowner will be able to effortlessly weatherproof their windows.

If you want to take the widow insulation preparation a step further, take a hard look at your interior window treatments.  These additions are helpful in protecting your home against the elements regardless of the season.  Special curtains, blinds or shades can be put in place to very effectively insulate the home against the effects of harsh weather. 

Blackout blinds cellular shades have proven to reduce energy costs significantly.  Hunter Douglass, Bali and Levolor are just a few of the companies that make attractive window coverings that provide an extra insulating feature.  For a more basic, old-school tactic for window insulation, try multi-layered curtains.

Follow a few of these basic steps and you will find that your home is not only notably more comfortable, but that your heating costs are more manageable as well.  Complete your home weatherization project properly by not forgetting about window insulating, regardless of the weather.