I live in an old townhouse and I’m a renter so these two realities significantly restrict my ability to make energy efficiency improvements. But I keep working on it.
My latest challenge was to make my windows more efficient. Both my living room and bedroom have south facing windows that are more than 3 meters wide and are not double-paned. I went and picked up several rolls of energy efficiency film. With some degree of trepidation I cleaned the windows and unrolled the film. I wasn’t sure how easy it was going to be to cover each window but with sweat dripping from my brow as I sat on the couch thinking about it, I decided I might as well dive right in.
I was pleasantly surprised. The hardest thing was actually cleaning my windows (again, they are old). The film was easy to cut and even easier to apply. I put most of the pieces up by myself with very little struggle. And what a difference it has made! My husband has his own personal weather station that tracks the temperature outside versus inside. On the hottest days since putting up the film the indoor temperature has been 2C cooler than on comparable days before the film. That might not seem like much but I’ll take every degree I can get. I’m also looking forward to seeing if it makes a difference in the winter. Oh to be able to sit in the chair in front of the window throughout the year without fear of sunburn or frostbite.
The window film is available at hardware stores and some paint stores. I paid about $30 a roll, but it was worth every penny. I used glare control downstairs and clear upstairs. You can also get decorative films but I’m not sure if these do much for energy efficiency. A side benefit is that the film helps prevent your furniture and other items from fading in the sunlight.
You can also get window insulation kits. I’ve used this in past winters. It creates a kind of artificial storm window. The only problem is that my cat has discovered sitting in the window and tends to make holes in the plastic. The benefit of the energy efficient film is that it goes right on the window (and is removable) so that my cat can’t make holes and during the summer the windows can be opened and closed as normal.
You can find more information about improving window efficiency in the CO2RE Home$avers Windows booklet http://www.edmonton.ca/environmental/programs/home$avers-booklets.aspx