When I was a child we lived in an old turn of the century house that was not very energy efficient. I can still remember every year as summer drew to a close my dad would get out the rolls of plastic or vis-queen in preparation for weatherproofing the windows. He would cut small strips of wood to fit each window and he would measure out the plastic. He would affix the small pieces of wood with tiny nails to the outside of the windows to hold the plastic that he stretched in place. I must admit that it looked a bit unsightly but it definitely got the job done. Without this plastic shield the old windows were drafty and ice would accumulate around the glass but the plastic prevented this.
Nowadays there are better ways to go about weatherproofing your windows. You can actually purchase plastic that is specific for windows. It is made so that you can see through it unlike the milky thick plastic my father used to use on our windows. This plastic can be stretched across the windows but you use a blow dryer to shrink it to fit so there is no unsightly gaping or wrinkles. This is an ideal way to get a good fit for virtually any size window, even octagon ones.
The plastic can be applied either inside using duct tape or outside using thin strips of wood or a simple staple gun. If you do not care about what it looks like from the outside then I would highly suggest affixing plastic both inside and outside. This will offer extreme aid during the cold.
Another idea for windows is heavy curtains or drapes and blinds. Many people don’t like the cave feeling that these can bring to a home but they will cut back on the drafty windows. A nice heavy blind that is covered by a very heavy curtain or drape can look attractive, be removable, and still cut back on drafts. Many drapes are sold with a heavy foam backing to serve for just such a purpose. People have used this idea for hundreds of years and it does work well.
One very important thing that people do not remember to do with old houses is install new caulk around the windows. This can also aid in cutting back on drafts and letting the heat out. Simply head to a store like Home Depot or Lowes and walk the aisle that contains the caulk. A tube normally only runs about ten dollars and then you will need the ‘gun’ which is a metal apparatus that squeezes the tube of caulk so you can apply it evenly. This normally costs under ten dollars. So for less then twenty dollars you should be able to fix any air leaks around your windows with ease. But remember that caulk cannot be used in extreme cold so start this process while the days are still warm.
A relatively new product is sealant foam. You can spray the foam where the window closes to prevent drafts from entering but not interfere with the closing of the window. This foam expands to fill in the gaps but also compresses so you can easily close and move the window. For over a hundred years people have actually handmade and purchased what is called a snake for their windows. This is a long tube made of material and filled with sand that they would place at the base of the window so it could still be closed and opened with ease but prevent the drafts from coming under. Nowadays the foam spray makes these unnecessary.
Another, somewhat more expensive way, to weatherproof your windows is by installing weatherstripping. This is either rubbery or fuzzy bands of tape that you attach to the perimeter of your windows. It is easy to affix and seems to do the trick for drafts. The most important thing to remember when using weatherstripping is to be sure to clean the area thoroughly. Any type of dirt can interfere with the sticking ability of the sticky back on the weatherstrip which will eventually peel over time. So cleaning away any dirt is extremely important to get the maximum life out of the weatherstripping so you do not have to reapply halfway through the winter.
With the high cost of heating a home it is worth the bit of effort and time that it takes to weatherproof your windows. With these simple idea’s just about anyone can easily make a difference in their heat bill.
