In order to keep your energy bills to a minimum during the colder months, it is essential to ensure that your windows are fully insulated and performing effectively as possible. Here is our guide on how to insulate your windows before the cold winter weather sets in.
A Guide on How to Insulate Your Windows
The effects of extremely cold weather conditions can significantly impact your home’s interior, especially if your property’s thermal envelope isn’t working effectively. Cold air can enter your home through a multitude of avenues, but before you inspect the quality of your walls, flooring, roofing and ceilings, it might be worth taking a good look at your windows. Even if your windows are fairly new and still in good condition, extreme temperatures can press their way into your home.
We suggest insulating your windows in plenty of time before the winter period. If you wait until the middle of the cold season to finally insulate your windows, you may have already paid unnecessarily high heating bills in the months previously. Preparing your home for winter and the cooler temperatures will only benefit you in the long run and help to prevent high energy bills. Here are a few ways you can successfully insulate the windows in your home.
Invest in New Curtains
Investing in thermal curtains is an affordable, yet highly effective method of insulating your windows. Curtains made from heavy duty fabric provide efficient thermal insulating properties. You can have bespoke curtains made to fit the windows in your home or purchase standard thermal curtains from online and high street home stores. Alternatively, if this an expense you’d rather not invest in, you can simply just hang heavy fabrics where your curtains would be as a temporary winter solution. Both thick curtains or plain fabric are effective in acting as a thermal insulating barrier, trapping the existing heat in your home.
Install Double Glazing
This is, without a doubt, the best method for making sure your windows are as insulated as possible. Both double and triple glazing prevents cold air from entering your home and warm air escaping. The partitions between the glass panes are a gas-filled space that works to reduce the overall heat transfer. This problem is most common in homes that feature conservatories; more often than not the conservatory windows are only single paned. This leaves your home vulnerable to the cold weather and makes it difficult to keep your home at a comfortable temperature in the winter. Double glazing in Milton Keynes may be an expensive investment but is guaranteed to save you money in the long run.
Rubber Weather Sealing
This insulation method can easily be performed by hand. Rubber weather sealer has similar properties to a thick, sticky tape that keeps the draughts and coldness out of your home.
All you need to do is simply cut the strips to measure in line with your windows so that they fit all the dimensions. Ensuring the sealing fits exactly with the size of your window will only make it more effective.
You will then need to peel off the backing paper of the strips you have cut and stick them to the frame of your windows. This will close any possible gaps where cold air can enter and warm air escape. This insulating method is one of the most cost-effective techniques in order to fight back at the cold weather. However, you should take into account that when you take these strips off, there is the potential for them to cause damage to the paint.
Window Insulation Film
Another useful method that you can purchase online, window insulation film includes a plastic shrink film that you can attach to the inside of your window frame with double sticky tape.
You should then heat up the film with a hairdryer in order to shrink the film and remove any wrinkles. Although this method is very useful in its job, we have to note that it may cause a slightly cloudy appearance on your window as the film is not entirely transparent.
Draught Excluder
Not only are draught excluders good for trapping the warm air in your home, but they can also be a fun addition to the decor in your home. Draught excluders are widely available to purchase or, alternatively, you can make your own. Many people choose to make them into snakes, worms, sausage dogs or from an attractive piece of fabric. Here is an article on how to make a draught excluder by hand.
Draft snakes are often tubes covered in creative fabric that are filled with beads or rice and sit in front of the bottom of your door, or on your windowsill to prevent cold air leaking into your home. Although they are not expensive, making your own draft excluder can be a fun activity and if you can do so, then you should. All you need is material with an outer tube and dried rice or popcorn kernels. You could even add in some lavender to provide a pleasant aroma, or some button eyes to give your draft snake a realistic look.
Nevertheless, if you prefer a more simple and convenient method of blocking internal draughts, then you can purchase more simplistic designs. Brush strip draught excluders are commonly used and are fitted to the bottom of the door, meaning you don’t need to move the door stop to open the door.
Cellular Shades
Cellular shades are slightly similar to window insulation film but marginally better. However, there is a catch – they are expensive. These have the job of insulating your windows whilst still letting light through the windows. Although window insulation film does still let in light, it can appear very clouded. However, this improved version is transparent and gives the same appearance while doing the same job as window insulation film.
Summary
With the implementation of our advice, you’ll find that insulating your windows has never been so easy. When it comes to ensuring your conservatories remain warm throughout the winter, these products are necessary.
Although it is very rare that we have severe weather here in the UK, it is still essential to prepare your home for the winter months. If you’re interested in other ways to get your property ready for winter, then feel free to take a read of this article. If you are looking for a professional and reliable installer off triple and double glazing windows in Milton Keynes, get in touch with one of our members of staff today.
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