If you’re considering improving home insulation, upgrading your windows’ insulation should be one of your first priorities. Up to one-third of your home’s total heat loss may come from poorly insulated windows and doors, according to the Energy Information Association.

Improving your windows’ insulation is relatively easy. To improve window insulation you can:

• Add weather-stripping or caulk
• Install plastic sheeting over windows
• Upgrade to double-paned glass.

It shouldn’t take most contractors very long to completely insulate all the windows in your home. You can also purchase a window insulation kit and upgrade the insulation yourself.

Improving Your Windows’ Insulation: The Basics

The windows of your home can be major areas of heat loss if they are not insulated properly. Heat is lost in one of two ways through your windows:

• Through air leakage due to inadequate weather sealing around the window
• Through the windowpane itself, especially if it is single-paned glass.

Well-insulated windows will have airtight weather stripping along all the borders of the window and the windowsill. Additionally, windows should ideally be made of double-paned glass. Double-paned windows have two layers of glass with a pocket of air sandwiched between them. The layer of air acts to insulate the outside pane from the inside pane and prevents heat loss.

Window Insulation Kit

The easiest way to improve window insulation is to purchase a window insulation kit. Plastic insulation, which is installed over your home’s windows, helps stop leaks and decreases the amount of heat lost through the panes.

Window insulation kits usually come with:

• Double-sided tape
• Plastic insulation sheeting.

To install the kit, outline the framing of the window with double-sided tape. Then spread the plastic insulation sheet across the window, attaching it to the double-sided tape. You can then use a heat gun or hair dryer to warm the plastic insulation, causing it to shrink and create a tight seal against the window framing.

Other Window Insulation Techniques

You can also reduce heat loss around your windows by installing fiberglass insulation around the edges of the window frame itself. Or, you can add weather stripping or caulking around the window frame. Hanging heavy curtains can reduce drafts and heat loss, and you can also buy insulated drapes, which will further reduce heat lost through windows.

Another strategy for improving window insulation is installing interior storm windows or insulating window panels, which can often be attached with magnets or velcro. If you would like to permanently improve your window insulation, installing double-paned windows is a good idea.