$12 for 9 sheets and some double sided tape – is it worth it?
A window insulation kit of crystal clear shrink film for ~$12 with 9 sheets and some double sided tape – is it worth it? How does it compare to the rule of thumb for a 3% savings on your heating bill for every degree that you set back your thermostat? The short answer, it depends. If you live in an old farmhouse with single pane windows that leak like a screen door it should be obvious that just about anything will save you $. But….if you live in a house built a bit more recently the answer isn’t quite as crystal clear . In my case, it looks like I'll get half the advertised savings ($90 in energy savings). So let’s look at how much it could save me – I have nine 30” x 62” double pane windows installed 25 years ago and assuming that any difference in thermal losses are dominated by convection at these temperatures, I’ll compare how installing an insulation kit changes the overall heat transfer. For a second data point, I’ll also measure the losses...
