Does bubble-wrap work for insulating windows?

AC_Hacker · 01-08-12, 07:48 PM

Does bubble-wrap work for insulating windows?

For $15, I bought a roll of 24" wide roll of bubble wrap, enough for three or four windows (I only wanted to do the lower windows).

On a single glass window with no storm window, it makes a big difference!

I also tried it on single-glass with storm and next on Argon-filled double low-E windows, on each one , the difference was less than the previous test. The difference on double-glass, Argon-filled double low-E window was almost too low to read.

Take-away:

If you have single-glass windows, bubble-wrap can certainly help. At $15 for several windows, it is tremendous bang for the buck.
If you have single-glass with storms it will help a little.
If you spent $300 on Argon filled double low-E, don't bother to invest $15 to cover your Argon-filled windows with bubble wrap.

-AC_Hacker

01-08-12, 07:48 PM	#1
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Does bubble-wrap work for insulating windows? Does bubble-wrap work for insulating windows? For $15, I bought a roll of 24" wide roll of bubble wrap, enough for three or four windows (I only wanted to do the lower windows). On a single glass window with no storm window, it makes a big difference! I also tried it on single-glass with storm and next on Argon-filled double low-E windows, on each one , the difference was less than the previous test. The difference on double-glass, Argon-filled double low-E window was almost too low to read. Take-away: If you have single-glass windows, bubble-wrap can certainly help. At $15 for several windows, it is tremendous bang for the buck. If you have single-glass with storms it will help a little. If you spent $300 on Argon filled double low-E, don't bother to invest $15 to cover your Argon-filled windows with bubble wrap. -AC_Hacker Attached Thumbnails __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker... Last edited by AC_Hacker; 01-09-12 at 09:07 PM..