Am I really asking you to pick out and install some curtains?
There’s a very, very good reason, aside from being fashionable.
Which I’m not.
Curtains, especially the heavier fabric ones, are good insulators. They retain heat very well, and also block a lot of cold air.
Try this. If you have curtains, on a cold day, stand near the window with the curtains drawn. Now feel behind the drawn curtain, between the window and fabric. I guarantee it is much colder. The curtains are stopping the colder air from entering …

Insulated foam tape is a nice alternative if you have a gap at the top of bottom of a sliding window. If you have a side sliding window, then the left and right of the window are well suited for foam tape.
The foam provides insulation or a buffer so cold air can not enter the house, or warm air can not escape.
If you choose to go this way, make sure you test the tape first. Sometimes it may leave a nasty residue. Also, a lot of times the …

If you don’t want to deal with caulk, or perhaps you’re uncomfortable with the installation, rope caulk may be for you.
Rope caulk is also an excellent choice for temporary uses or where gaps are very small and it may not be worth caulking.
In fact if you want to patch small gaps between the molding and wall, rope caulk would probably be the smarter choice than regular caulk. It’s extremely flexible and is much cleaner than regular caulk.
Additionally it is much easier to work with.
Here are the advantages of rope …

Caulking is a great, quick and efficient way of plugging holes around windows. In fact, if you buy the correct caulk for the situation it can plug up nearly anything!
Caulking is one of those repairs that will save you money year round, no matter what the season. It forms a nice, tight seal around problem areas and prevents air, warm or cold, within the house from escaping to the outdoors. So heated air stays in the house in winter, and cooler air is retained where it is …

It’s getting pretty hard around my area to predict when the first serious cold spell will strike. It seems to be getting earlier and earlier every single year. That aside, if you have storm windows, make sure they are in working order before the colder weather arrives.
Here’s a brief checklist on what to look for when looking at and cleaning your storm windows:

Is the glass broken?
Are there any chips?
Is the seal in good condition?
When it is washed, does it leak?
Is it rusted?
Is the glass loose?
Is the frame damaged?

Of …

If you have particularly drafty windows or just want to improve the overall insulation of the window quickly and easily, install insulated plastic.
This is recommended generally for windows with leaks you can’t seem to find or are having trouble repairing.
Of course the optimal solution would be to replace the window eventually, but right now that’s not even an option. So a good workaround would be to insulate it as best you can.
Keep in mind this will somewhat obstruct the view in and out of the window. But it …

Whether you are planning to live “off the grid” and free yourself from energy bills or just “kick back” and enjoy lower energy bills, the first step is always to understand your home’s energy usage and employ good old fashioned energy conservation techniques.
The reason for this is simple – you can not be charged for what you don’t use (in terms of energy…well this is strictly untrue if you are on a utility company’s budget payment system…but we’ll pretend for a moment that is not the case.) So, if you …

Do this by picking the battles you can win. In other words, don’t take on mammoth projects like replacing whole windows, siding or insulation yourself unless you really know what you’re doing and you can get it done quickly and correctly the first time. After all, that’s what there are professional contractors for. They get paid well because they’re good at what they do. Let them do their job.
While a new window can save hundreds of heating dollars over the years, installed wrong or in a …

There’s a newer product now that advertises great savings on your energy bills while being nearly invisible (if you want it to be). It is replaceable easy installation window film.
The concept is simple and straightforward. Placing a special film, which can be cut or trimmed to size, over the window pane in theory reduces the solar radiation allowed in through the window and improves the R-value (insulation value) of the glass pane itself.
But does this really work? And does it save you money?
First, the solar radiation. The ideal way to …

I am all about saving money, and one frosty morning I discovered that one of my window panes was rather draft. Turns out that window had come loose and was longer in close contact with the bototm of the window sill. When this happens, the best course of action is usually to use foam tape or something similar in the interim until the window can be repair or replaced.
I did not have foam tape on hand, so I went searching through my house for something that could insulate “good enough” …