THE Window Thread (merged)

oowolf

Books make pretty good insulation and can be obtained cheaply at yard sales--intellectual content apparently does not alter R value. Just stack them around your house and visitors will think you're really smart. I just wrapped my copy of "The Stranger" in aluminum foil.

BrownDog

codesuidae

While foiling your windows to, er, 'foil' heat loss can be effective, taking it to the extreme probably is not cost-effective.

Shocked

NEOPO

Just wanted to note that the dull side not the shiny is the most reflective Wink

and...whats an MLB?
<plays stupid on tv but is stupid as far as MLB goes in reality>
Dont force me to use google!!

at this point I only wish I had a book or video to "plug" Wink

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ChicknLittle · Heavy Crude Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 115

This may have already been mentioned somewhere, but bubble wrap may make more sense as an insulator... Apparently it increases the R value of the window by 1, while allowing light in.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm

markam · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 271 Location: PA

codesuidae

Blueberry · Heavy Crude Joined: Aug 05, 2005 Posts: 144

Just wanted to say thanks to whomever mentioned the black out fabric. I didn't know that they made that and will be getting some.

gampy

For those interested in tinfoil over the windows, be aware that indoor marijuana grow ops use this method to maximise the light the plants receive from the grow lamps they use.

Be prepared to explain your...ummm....motivations.

uNkNowN ElEmEnt

I use the bubble wrap insulation used for insulating your hot water tank. The bubbles give you a little extra insulation and its white on one side and silver on teh other so it doesn't look like an eye sore to both sides, and you can flip it.

Its also stiffer and easier to hold in place and reuse. Having double windows its easy to put between the windows.

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 6470

I've never heard of using aluminum foil on windows for energy conservation. I have seen it recommended for use on bedroom windows for shift workers to block out light and improve sleep.

Where do you live that you are trying to cool your house in November?
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Of a thousand burning bridges
Sifting through the ashes every day
What we thought would never end
Now is nothing more than a memory
The way things were before
I lost my way" - OCMS

zoidberg

HamRadioRocks · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 19, 2006 Posts: 108

I really want to save energy on air conditioning this summer, even though I spend far more on heating than air conditioning and am a 100% participant in the Alliant Energy Second Nature program. Air conditioning is a flagrant example of positive feedback, because burning fossil fuels to cool our buildings exacerbates the very heat we're trying to shield ourselves from. Since I'm not about to live in a hotter house until I'm forced to (above 80 degrees is oppressive, so I keep it at 79), I will install a timer for the window air conditioner, I will use the aluminum foil trick again, and I will shade the air conditioner again with a tarp hanging from the awning above.

But the one thing I haven't addressed and don't already have a solution for is insulation to keep the hot, humid air outside and the cooler, drier air inside (the exact opposite of the goal in winter).

The plastic window insulation and rope caulking for the drafty windows have been handy for conserving energy in winter.

I know that the windows are just drafty in summer as they are in winter, even though the much smaller temperature difference between the inside and outside air makes this much less noticeable. So insulation will be just as important then as it is now. When you take into account the storm windows rope caulking, and plastic insulation I use in winter, you'll find that my windows are MUCH draftier in summer.

The trouble with the plastic window insulation and rope caulking are the fact that they make it more difficult to open the windows, which is something I occasionally want to do in summer. Opening the windows does conserve energy at certain times, such cool, dry evenings that follow warm, sunny days (in other words, periods when the house is hot but the air outside is cool).

What do you think? Are there any good alternatives to sealing up the house? Do any of you go to the trouble of switching back to storm windows for every heat wave?