Does heat shrink window plastic work to conserve energy?

I am talking about the stuff you tape to the inside of your home windows and use a hair dryer to stretch it tight. It is supposed to keep single pane windows better at keeping in the heat. I live where it gets 30 degrees at night and 40-50 during the day in winter. Does anyone have experience with these products? Which type works best? Mainly, does it really keep heat in? OR does it keep sunlight heat out and balance out to zero help?

Does heat shrink window plastic work to conserve energy?

Yes it can make a HUGE difference.

In college, I lived in an old drafty house with 6 other friends. Our heating bills were astronomical and you could literally feel the wind blowing through the windows!

We shrink-wrapped the windows and immediately noticed a change in the temperature in the rooms. Our heating bills dropped by 30% over one month.

Windows typically account for 10-20% of the heat loss in a house. Even if you have double-pane windows, they still get cold, leeching heat out of your room. The plastic sheeting will help by creating a partial vacuum between the window and the plastic which acts as an insulator (this is the same principle those old metal %26amp; glass thermos bottles use.) This helps keep the heat in, and the cold out. Sunlight still passes through, but not the heat from the sun. That's mostly blocked by the vacuum between the plastic and the window. Double pane windows do most the same thing - only the space between the panes is filled with Argon gas, which is a poor conductor of heat and cold.

The only downside is that the sticky tape these kits use may damage paint when removed - assuming you can remove the tape at all. You'll also need to purchase a new sheets for each window each year.

Other alternatives include making sure there are no holes or cracks around your window frames. Use a caulk gun to fix these problems, just don't caulk the windows shut! :-) Caulk guns are cheap, and you don't need an expensive tube of caulk - even the $0.99 tubes of painter's caulk will do the job. (it also work wonders against keeping bugs out of your house, but that's for another time.)

Covering the windows with heavy drapes will also help, but isn't as effective as the plastic sheeting. However, every little bit can help. Drapes also help in the summer by helping keep heat out of your house.

Does heat shrink window plastic work to conserve energy?

It worked great for me. Let the sun in and kept the draft out.

Does heat shrink window plastic work to conserve energy?

Yes it works well and is easy to install.I warn you now though to not leave it there during the summer,but if you do you must vent it at the top by pulling the plastic back an inch or two to let the heat out or it will totally destroy your air tight seal.And most likely the heat will do it anyway even if you do vent it.

Does heat shrink window plastic work to conserve energy?

Yes, this stuff does work, and I don't think there is much of a difference between the various brands; though some are easier to work with than others.

You could also try "caulking cord." I discovered this stuff at Home Depot and it works really well, too. You put it over all gaps in the window and frame and smooth it down with your fingers.