Looking for ways to keep your house warm this winter without spending a fortune? Let’s start with your windows.
Winter has well and truly arrived in Cardiff with temperatures plummeting below zero. With the ever-rising energy costs, you’re not alone in wanting to avoid cranking the heating up to warm your house.
You may be able to significantly reduce your heat loss by keeping your windows warm this winter. Did you know air leakage and draughts result in 25% of heat loss in winter? With some simple steps, you can keep your windows warm and do away with needing to wear three layers to keep the chill off.
So, let’s jump into it.
Why Should You Keep Your Windows Warm in Winter?
We have already mentioned draughts, but there are a few other reasons for you to consider, especially if your area experiences harsh and bitter-cold winters. Did you know that just one pane of glass can lose almost 10x as much heat as the same area of an insulated wall? This means just closing your windows is not enough to keep your house warm in the winter.
Additionally, depending on your house and the last time it was remodelled, your heater will be overworking to compensate for the loss of heat, which causes a rise in your heating bills – something we could all do without! By keeping your windows warm and insulated, you can not only potentially reduce your heating bills but also keep your house warm and cosy.
What to Use to Keep Your Windows Warm?
So how can you keep your windows warm efficiently and cost-effectively? Here are six items we recommend using to beat the cold this winter:
Weather Stripping Insulation
Weather strips, also called weather sealing strips, can insulate your window and prevent any potential heat loss. You can try foam, EPDM, or felt stripping to cover the gaps and seams of your windows. Simply cut the strips as necessary and apply them to the areas. It is a cheap method of insulating your windows, but the down side is you need to remove the seal and reapply it if you want to open the windows at any point.
Window Film
A window film is, as you can imagine: a transparent film that you apply to the glass pane or inside of your windows. The film, once applied, acts as insulation or a barrier between your windows and house interior by preventing cold air from entering and heat loss. These window films are typically found as plastic shrink films, and you need to use double-sided sticky tapes to apply it to the indoor frame of your windows. Using a hair dryer to heat the film during application will remove the air bubbles. Overall, window films are a good investment as they are both cheap and long-lasting without requiring any maintenance. What’s more, it won’t reduce the level of sunlight entering your house.
Thick Curtains
Adding thick curtains to your windows can provide insulation. They perform better than blinds, but adding them both will have the same level of insulation while letting you control how much sunlight you want to enter during the day. However, for harsh winters, thermal curtains are the overall better choice. It’s over three layers of materials that control the room’s temperature by holding the warm air inside in winter and blocking the heat of the sun in summer.
Caulk
For all those cracks around the window or the window sash, using a water-based latex caulk will do the job of insulating your windows. You can also try rope caulk to seal cracks inside your window cases around the edges. Rope caulk has a texture similar to Silly Putty that you can easily roll into a long rope and jam it into any large spaces or gaps. You might also want to seal the outside of the windows if you reside in a ground-floor apartment for extra insulation. It is inexpensive, but it needs to be reapplied every year or two as temperature changes will contract and expand the windows.
Bubble Wrap
It might not be the most visually appealing solution to most, but if you are up for it, you can try bubble wrap to insulate your windows. For proper insulation, spray a mist of water on your window’s glass pane and place the bubble side of the bubble wrap on the windows. Just make sure to clean the windows before doing so. Use tape to secure in place if the water spray alone doesn’t hold them.
Magnetic Window Insulation
If you periodically want to open your windows during winter without having to reapply the insulation, then we recommend trying magnetic insulation. As magnets lock the vinyl insulation in place, you can choose to take it off or put it back whenever you want. To install them, you need to apply multiple magnetic paint coats to the window trim, cut the vinyl fit for your windows, and adhere the magnetic tape to your vinyl. The magnetic paint and tape will hold the vinyl to your window frame and prevent any heat loss.
Should You Consider Secondary Glazing Windows?
Secondary glazing, which is different to double glazing, can provide more long-term insulation to your windows. It is similar to a window film, making a buffer zone between the windows and the interior of your house. However, you will need to hire professionals as it involves attaching the secondary plane of glass to your existing windows. This makes it a costly option especially compared to window films which work in a very similar way.
Magnetic secondary glazing, on the other hand, is a much more cost-efficient alternative you can install on your own. It requires attaching magnetic strips to your window frame where you can place the magnetic secondary glazing panel in place. Just make sure to check the quality of the panels before buying, as most of the cheaper ones are made of flimsy and thin plastic.
Conclusion
While insulating your windows can help beat the harsh winter, you should also take care to not close every means of ventilation. Letting the old, damp air out once in a while for fresh air is also important.
As the price is rising from British energy companies, you can use these items and methods to keep your windows warm and have a cosy and comfortable winter. If you are looking for services on window cleaning before installing any of the methods, contact our experts to get started!
