Totorus

Photo credit by starmist1

The rising cost of fuel and gas has escalated a demand for conserving electrical resources at the home front. Due to the heating required to warm homes every winter, more and more people are looking for effective ways to cut those rising utility bills. With a few basic changes at home, you can actually combat this situation, turning it in your favor and creating a comfortable ambiance. Window insulation is one such method of making your house more energy efficient. By insulating the windows you reduce the amount of cold breeze flowing in to your house. This effectively reduces furnace heating time. Insulation helps in keeping the temperatures inside the home at a consistent degree with no chances of energy leakage.

There are various ways to insulate the windows for diminished heat loss during winter time and also maintain a cool air flow during the summers. Vinyl sheeting can be put on the inside of the window frames, to seal them completely. Vinyl sheeting is transparent and also allows light to be transmitted while blocking the heat element. Moreover this type of insulation is reasonably priced. Another advantage is the option to remove them once they are not required. However, the disadvantage is that these sheets have to be replaced timely and the labor charges for this can be huge.

Polyethylene sheeting is another viable option. These sheets are cheaper than vinyl sheets because they are sold on per foot basis or in storm window kits. But they are not as good in insulating the home and have to be changed every season. Apart from the sheeting options, you can also fix shutters to your window. These shutters are made of foam insulation board and are fire-proof. They are also an inexpensive option and can be easily crafted. These fireproof fiberboard shutters are much better than the plastic insulators and you can even cover them with a fabric thereby giving them an attractive appearance. You can put dark colored fabric during winters and light colored ones during summers.

Another smart and very cheap way of insulating your home is by using bubble wrap packing material. All you have to do is spray some water on the door and then fix the bubble wrap. The bubble wrap stays in its place for at least one whole season with only one spray.

Remember that there are three spots which are the main ways of heat loss from the house – the attic, basement and the walls. The warm air rises to the attic which can therefore account for 10%-15% of heat loss. Insulating the windows of the attic with the plastic sheeting will help you in conserving the heat. The basement accounts for 20%-25% of heat loss. Most of the windows that have been in existence for more than 30 years will not be able to insulate the houses. Replacing old windows can also be an effective way. Thus proper insulation of the basement and windows in the other areas can help save a large chunk in electric bills.