Single pane glass windows are virtually thermal holes in your walls. Having R-values of roughly 1, they allow 19 times more heat to escape than an R-19 wall surrounding them. If you have lots of windows, insulating them may be your best energy improvement. However, keep in perspective how much you can improve them and still see through them. Adding another layer of glass raises their R-value to just over 2, meaning now they are only losing 9 times as much heat as the insulated wall. Triple glazing can bring a window's R-value up to 3, but because of their expense are only cost justified in severe climates.

Insulating your windows brings three additional comfort advantages some find more valuable than the energy savings. The first is the reduced noise provided by insulated windows. The second is less infiltration of dust and pollen. And the third is that insulated windows are warmer to the touch, which has a significant effect on body comfort. Because our bodies radiate heat toward cold surfaces even when they are several feet away, a cold window makes one feel colder.

There are two main options for insulating windows - one that doesn't obstruct the view and one that does . . .

Home | Index | FAQs