I believe there was recently a post on using bubble wrap to insulate windows - under a velvet panel or something luxurious/warm would be nice for winter.

I lived for 5 years in a very bad apartment in Chicago, where, you know, your snot freezes in the winter. I took out all of my plastic grocery bags, and wedged them in between window cracks with a butter knife. The difference was amazing. Then, when it got really cold (-13 degrees), I bought cellophane and lined the windows with it (the outer edges beyond any cracks), made sure there were no cracks, and blow dried it until everything was tight. Hope that helps. It was NECESSARY for me.

Another thing you can do is to go around the apartment with a caulk gun, and fill in every crack, space between the windows and the walls, everywhere air can get in. Also Put rolled up bath towels at the bottoms of doors to seal that space.

If you do a little research, you'll find that insulating fabrics usually retail for $15+ per yard. Those panels at Target are actually kind of a bargain (the cheapest I found on Nextag were $36/panel)...

You can try caulking around the frame of the windows (inside and out) to decrease draughts, and just adding regular curtains - if you don't already have them - can help keep in the heat, if you keep them closed.

Unfortunately, if your walls don't have much insulation, insulated curtains aren't going to do much, though. The walls are where you're losing most of your heat (despite what window sellers try to tell you). If the walls aren't insulated, you're throwing your money away trying to prevent cold air infiltration through the windows.

Insulating window film you can get from the hardware store works wonders. It comes with double-sided tape to secure around your window, then you just use a blow dryer to seal it.
I lived in a 100+ year-old house with original windows for a while and this made a huge difference.

You can get inexpensive kits at any hardware store that have plastic sheets and double sided tape. You put the tape around the window, press the plastic on and use a hair dryer to shrink it so it's taut and practically invisible.

You won't be able to open your windows until Spring, when you remove it. You'll also have to use Goo Gone or something similar to remove the tape.

But this works really well with old drafty windows.

Agree with the comments about the plastic liners, but it sounds like you're talking about warm curtains. I recently made my own lined curtains (google 'how to make lined curtains' for directions), and while I'm happy with how they turned out, I don't think you're going to be able to make anything in an insulating fabric that works out to cheaper than $35/panel.
Unless - you could find a wool blanket or similar at Goodwill or an Army/Navy surplus store, fold over the top, sew a tube for a curtain rod and have a warm window covering that way? I bet that's what Ma Ingalls would have done.

I have the opposite problem here in Phoenix (keeping the heat OUT) and bought some "energy saving" roman shades from JCPenney for very cheap ($15 each). I don't think they really work all that much against the merciless, damned sun out here BUT I could easily stick some extra insulation in behind them, like fleece or whatever.

I will do this if I have time during the short winter, where it does actually get rather cold. And since my home was built in 1912, I'm sure I would benefit from this at least a little bit.

Or you could simply put on a sweater and do lots of baking, Pot roasts, etc.

Ahhh! GO TO OSH if they have one near you. They have the plastic window shrink wrap. Basically it's a HUGE sheet designed to fit over doors and windows that you can cut down to size. It comes with a tape that you stick it onto your windows with while leaving it a little loose. Then you take a hair dryer to it and the heat shrink wraps it smaller, trapping a bubble of warm air between it and the window. I did this on all my apt windows one year and my parents have done it on their home for years. It's amazing, easy to do yourself, and removes without any problems. Good luck!

Buy thin foam padding and sew the foam material to the back of the existing curtains. If you want the curtain look from outside put a tension rod with sheers on the inside.

I also have this problem, although where I live it isn't cold yet. I took some cheap burlap fabric, stained it with tea, and made rice-filled thin, sealed bags to go on all of my apartment window ledges and at the bottom of my front door. This doesn't keep the cold from the glass but in my 1920's drafty apartment it works well.

You haven't provided much in the way of budget info. $35 per panel x 20 windows? or x 2 windows?

If you're weighing the cost of insulating drapes vs your heating bill, you'll probably break even the first year (or even spend a little more), but save money in subsequent years.

If you're extremely budget conscious, I suggest taking the advice of those recommending various window films to seal drafts as much as possible, and then shop at thrift stores to find the heaviest drapes you can possibly find. You could also hang double rods and go with two layers of drapes.

Our house is pretty efficient. We live at 6500 feet and can get winds at 80MPH in a good storm (that's a category 1 hurricane). I learned that cellular roman shades behind the drapes really make a difference in keeping the heat in and the cold out. The cheap ones are not very attractive, but if you're weighing $ vs. glamour, hiding them behind more attractive window treatments can make them tolerable.

Hi there Southie neighbor! I'm in Brighton and I feel your pain.

-get the window caulking that they sell at Home Depot that you mold into all the nooks and cranny's in the window frame

-Get the plastic shrink wrap everyone else here is talking about- it will make a huge difference too

-it sounds crazy but take out your screens and wash your windows. LEAVE the screens out-it lets in so much more sunlight that my heating bill went down 15%- no kidding!

-Look on eBay for old quilts or blankets and comforters that you can use either as drapes or line your drapes with.

-I tried cellular blinds in one room, yeah they work but are very expensive (for me)

-Also, the walls that face outside may have good insulation, but still need to be caulked at the floorboards and AROUND the window frames.

-Another tip-for only a few dollars get outlet insulation kits. Made a HUGE difference.

-if you have a fireplace make sure the flue is closed otherwise it's sucking all the warm air up and out the chimney.

-check around your doors to see if you need weatherstripping. Just hold up your hand- it's been windy enough here, you can feel the draft.

Good luck and stay toasty warm!

Oh- just re read your question. You have no insulation in your walls?

-in my living room I have the same problem- it's so old it's actually insulated with tree branches and old newspapers- I kid you not.

-I bought the pink insulation rolls with the paper on one side. It costs like $30-35,and duct taped it to the walls. And then used pretty fabric and sorta pleated and stapled it to the woodwork and then hot glued cording on the top of the staples.
It's alot of work but my heating bills went from $450 per month to $175. BTW I think it looks nice.

agree with the bubble wrap if you dont care about looks and dont want to open the window. Look at thrift stores for old drapery or very thick blankets. Hang off of a cheap tension rod from Target ~ $3.

Hey Southie, a Granite stater here. Same problem. What I did was go to a Walmart and buy space blankets at the sporting goods dept. Then I got a couple of packages of thin quilt batting ( W doesn't sell them anymore, damn, they were cheap there) and finally cheap but pretty curtain material. Layered all three, material/batting/spaceblanket, after measuring my windows and sewed them together, hung them and damn all they worked like a charm BUT it made things a bit gloomy as they kept out all the light as well as keeping out the cold.BTW today is the first day that I broke down and turned on the heat.

Oh yeah, forgot to say that each window cost me less than $10 a piece. $3 for the space blankets, $2 for the portion of the batting, and $5 for the material. (Didn't count time or thread but hey saved a bundle on oil $2.65/gal. OUCH!!!!

I'm in the same boat; like on a person, any additional layers will help. I don't use flat sheets on my bed, so had a bunch hanging around (ha!), and sewed them to the inside of my regular curtains; BIG difference.

I've also done the film on the windows, another plastic sheeting lining the other drapes (like a crinoline), draft dodgers on the sills, rope caulking on everything, and used electric radiators so that I could lower the overall thermostat.

It helps, but the bill is still high. I'm learning to accept it. :S

I am in Sydney where homes are not insulated. My windows vibrate when the wind blows in the winter and it is COLD even though it's "just" 10 degrees outside. We bought foam window insulater and lined all the doors and windows. I use regular curtains. It's difficult when the walls are not insulated too feel warm at home. I definitely feel your pain!

i'd like to second the suggestion for shopping at jcpenny. one wall of my living room has very little insulation, and i actually bought insulated curtains to cover the entire wall. it was an investment, but it has helped tremendously--we used to sit on the couch and feel the draft moving across the room! the curtains i have are floor to ceiling (100 + inches) and cost me about $200 to do the entire wall.

Lots of folks mentioned caulking. I wanted to mention a particular product called Seal and Peel. Works great to plug up those leaks, and the best thing is it peels off with no residue. Great if you're a renter or have some fear of smearing caulk all over things. I had air sealing done in my home, and the contractors put this stuff all over all of my windows and frames...you can barely even see it.

BTW- for all of the posters enthusiastically recommending bubble wrap for window coverings- has anyone actually done this themselves?

I can't imagine that anyone would cover their view like that?

oh and to besf- it is not a matter of putting on an extra sweater- she is living on the Atlantic ocean, Southie is right on the beach with gale force winds.

After rent, heating is my biggest expense, even with the thermostat set at 64. Imagine paying more for heat than food.

BetteroffNow, here's a couple links you might find helpful.

We have HUGE old windows that normally have curtains over them for the winter on top of being taped off, and during the winter we will try bubble wrap this year. Though the view is lovely, we will trade off warmth for it, and the sunlight will come in well.

Here's a link to it as insulation:
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/how-to-insulate-with-bubble-wrap-099849

Not that all must do it, but if it's a very cold winter and heavy draperies are already the norm, I think the tradeoff will be OK.

Buy a few rolls of Frost King, make sure your storms are down. Stuffing the cracks with grocery bags works really well. I had a few different "insulated" drapes as a kid that didn't do much of anything in my parent's 1932 farmhouse.

I grew up in Maine in an old house with original windows. Each fall we used to put rope caulking inside all of the window cases and then along the cracks of the outside window frame. This way we didn't have to deal with the sheet of plastic. Rope caulking should be available at any hardware store--it's essentially a thin clay rope that you can press into a crack.

Does anyone know if using the plastic will prevent you from using that window as light for plants? I am definitely going to do that method for my new place, a 1890 farm house. But I don't want to hill my houseplants.

BTW, to the person who suggested wrapping up -- sometimes that is simply not enough in New England. I had a Cambridge apartment 100-year old windows. I slept with two blankets, wool socks, sweat pant and a hoodie over regular Pjs, plus a cat on my head. And I still was cold.

I lived in Somerville in the 3rd floor of a triple-decker, and I had Velvet panels on all the windows one winter i had the panels and duck brand window protectors. The Panels were from Christmas tree shops (Assembly Square Mall Shopping Center, Somerville, MA) and for $14.99 each. Last time I was there, a few months ago, they still had them is some great colors too!

Here in northern Japan (we can ACTUALLY see Russia from here), insulating windows and patching up holes is an annual routine. We use foam and felt insulation tape that allows full visibility and (if you're good with your placement of the tape) opening of your windows: http://www.greatergoods.com/store/energy-savers/insulation/foam-weatherstripping-tape/prod_364.html

You should use that tape on door frames as well! It looks like foam tape for duct insulation would work nicely too.

I've also used foam drawer liners, rolled up and stuffed into crevices. The self-sticking kind might be nice to line small crevices in windows and doors.

We also do bubble-wrap windows we don't plan on opening. I've done that with one window in my house... not very pretty, but also completely NOT drafty!

I don't like relying on curtains for insulation, because I find that pulling them back while the sun's out warms up the house quite a bit. Nice thick curtains DO keep the warmth in at night, though.

Also, consider using a humidifier and sealing off unused rooms for the season.

hi maura,

i rented in brighton for 3 years... the first year's heat bills were insane, and i convinced the landlord to replace all of the doors to help prevent drafts. the 2nd winter's heat bills were better but not super... the 3rd winter i finally put up some of that clear window stuff (like saran wrap + doublestick tape... but google reviews of brands as one major brand is apparently very difficult to use and another is very easy) and that helped a TON. i also got 2 sets of cheapish curtains from target and put those up (2 sets per window/one layered over the other) and that helped quite a bit too.

good luck!! stay warm!!

If you put up the plastic film (which I would recommend), please, please take the extra few minutes and go over it with a hair dryer. I don't know how many of my friends apartments I've been too where they left the plastic all crinkled and loose. It looks horrible. Once you run the hair dryer over it, it's much less noticable.

Buy cheap fleece off the remnant table at a fabric store. Sew or use fabric glue to make a curtain rod pocket at the top. Hang using tension rods inside the windows. Use at least two times the width of fabric as the window. (30" wide window, 60" of fabric). The more fabric, the warmer the house.

I saw insulated window shades at BB&B. They were the pull down variety on a tension rod. They were a little wider than the window to tuck in to keep out drafts, but EXPENSIVE. $70 each. That gave me the idea for the fleece.

Fleece on sale at a dollar a yard, and a $2 tension rod, that's no more than $5 a window. I liked it because it was inside the window frame, but I had a friend who had a wall of windows, and he literally nailed up a row of blankets. He folded over the tops for a heading. It worked for him.