IME, with double-pane windows, it's usually the voids around the windows that leaks the most.
IME, with double-pane windows, it's usually the voids around the windows that leaks the most.
Every little bit of insulation helps, but my thought is no, you dont need the plastic. Lots of utility companies have some good records and trends of your energy usage so you can actually quantify if you need the plastic and curtains. Mine are available online when i pay my bill.
The plastic works a little. Its cheap, too. Basically you are isolating another dead air space. In order for the heat to get sucked out, it first has to pass through the plastic. It also uses that barrier to prevent conduction - cold air falling off the glass and being replaced by hot air. By covering it with plastic you are adding one more barrier. If the plastic doesn't get as cold as the window, you are preventing convection. Since the plastic has a lower conductivity of heat you are preventing conduction. Since the plastic is transparent to light, it does nothing for radiation.
Overall, you get what you pay for. Its Saran Wrap on a window. Don't expect miracles.
Focus on the windows you didn't replace yet.
i discovered that a roll of plastic stapled to the outside of my house- right over the windows and everything- really helped keep the wind out and heat in.. my house was built in 1948 and still had the original windows, and i actually put the plastic up on a -20 degree night with the 30mph north wind doing all the hard work of holding the plastic in place while i stapled it to the original wood siding.. the difference inside was immediate- i could sit in my living room without huddling under a blanket and the furnace actually shut off once in a while..
Agree with fox, concentrate on the remaining windows. On the older single pane windows, it's better to make sure there are no gaps and use outside storm windows. Part of the reason for that is the gap between the two gets warm due to the greenhouse effect and that will help keep the room a bit warmer. The front door of one of my houses was a dark gray color behind a full view storm door and in the late afternoon 1 1/2 hours of direct sunlight would make it too hot to touch, even when it was 35 degrees outside.
I'd consider some heavy drapes instead. The plastic just looks terrible.
The idea of the plastic to stop the drafts. Modern windows should have less of an issue, but if your plastic puffs out when the wind is blowing, it's giving you some benefit.
The insulated drapes still help. The plastic is a waste of time on the new windows, assuming they were well sealed to the frames (they usually are not).
Did the installation include REMOVING the interior trim and insulating the pocket in the wall where the window counterbalances used to be?
Most northern replacement window installations remove the sashes and seal the new window frame against the original stops, but fail to remove the interior trim and insulate the enormous void in the wall behind the trim. They just cut the ropes of the balance weights and let them fall into the wall.
As previously noted, every little bit helps, but the contribution of the plastic is not even measurable. Spend time working on other air infiltration (drafts) like electric outlets, bath fans, door weatherstripping, air duct leaks, etc.
The time you spend putting plastic over your (already decent) windows would be better spent with a caulk gun in other areas.
uship is as good as the perosnal you accept as your shipper.
for the love of god avoid
https://www.allamericanautotrans.com/
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