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Insulating Apartment Windows: Tips + Ideas for Renters
Insulating your apartment windows can help make your space more energy-efficient, comfortable, and budget-friendly. But if you’re renting the apartment you’re currently in, you might not want to splurge on expensive solutions for a drafty space that isn’t your forever home.
Thankfully, though, there are a few ways to keep your apartment more energy-efficient with affordable, easy-to-install options available. We’ll break down a few of our favorite ways to insulate apartment windows here.
Why Bother with Insulation?
Whether you’ve just moved into a new apartment or lived in your home for a few years, it’s a good idea to inspect your windows on an annual basis to ensure that they’re providing your space with a well-ventilated and well-insulated environment.
Windows play an important role in protecting the home’s building envelope. To keep the home well-sealed, windows and doors require regular maintenance to stay functional.
Any air leaks in your window design can result in higher utility bills during the winter or summer. They also make it harder to call your apartment your “home sweet home” when you’re never quite comfortable with the temperature.
“If your existing windows are in good condition, taking steps to reduce the energy loss through windows can make your home more comfortable and save you money on energy bills,” according to Energy.gov.
You can inspect the windows and doors to see if there are any leaks or gaps that need attention. “See if you can rattle them, since movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around a door or window frame, then the door or window leaks. You can usually seal these leaks by caulking or weather-stripping them,” suggest experts at Energy.gov.
Options for Insulating Windows
There are a few products and methods that make it easy for anyone to insulate their windows for optimal functionality — even if you have a smaller budget.
Rope Caulking
If you’re in a pinch, rope caulking is a rubber-based rope material that offers a cheap yet effective solution for sealing bigger gaps in windows. There are a few brands of rope caulking out there to choose from. Simply follow the instructions on the product packaging for installation.
Bubble Wrap Insulation
Bubble wrap offers another quick and budget-friendly solution for apartment-dwellers. While it might not be the most stylish strategy for insulation, placing the bubble side of the material against wet glass will add a layer of protection to the windows. “The still layer of air trapped in the bubbles gives a cheap double-glazed-type effect,” scientist Jenny Edwards told ABC Radio.
Thermal Curtains
Thermal curtains feature a special lining that helps trap warm air inside the layers of fabric. They also offer a more aesthetically appealing solution to apartment dwellers. For optimal impact, any curtains you select will need to cover the length and width of the entire window.
Window Inserts
Window inserts are an easy-to-install and more permanent solution for insulation, in which a panel is simply inserted on top of the original window. Window inserts can be a more expensive option than bubble wrap or caulking, but their custom sizes and durable features make them a viable long-term option for insulating apartment windows.
“With any efficiency improvements, take steps to ensure proper installation and check for air leaks again after making the improvement,” suggests Energy.gov.
Simple Solutions for Your Space
There are a few ways that you can improve the comfort and livability of your apartment, and insulating windows is an easy way to help. If you’re after more dependable, long-term solutions, window inserts from Indow offer a few benefits:
- They’re made of durable materials that went through third party testing
- They provide effective insulation to protect older windows from air leaks and moisture.
- They prevent heat transfer in the building envelope.
- The inserts also offer soundproofing from external noise, for a more comfortable indoor environment.
- They are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
We know that you might not be willing to pay for inserts if you are only living in your apartment for a brief period of time. However, you can have a conversation with your landlord to get them onboard. If they invest in Indow inserts, they will be giving their property an upgrade that will benefit future tenants. These inserts can quickly become a selling point for them, which would benefit them in the long run.
If you do plan on staying in your apartment for a long period of time and decide to buy these inserts yourself, you’ll certainly be getting a bang for your buck. Our inserts will provide you with comfort for years to come, and you can order and install them whenever you’d like.
The team of innovators at Indow works hard to create the best and most effective window inserts on the market, improving the performance of windows in apartments, homes, and commercial buildings everywhere.
Our window inserts are available across the U.S. and Canada, and we offer a free estimate to help plan your insulation project.
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Indow has insulated more than 23,000 buildings - helping reduce carbon emissions by nearly 200,000 tons - and creating comfort across the US & Canada!
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My home is about 500 ft. from an interstate highway and had been looking for a solution to reduce the highway noise, especially 18-wheeler truck noise all night long. What pushed me to finally make a decision was the 9 month highway repair project with trucks moving back and forth with their loud beeping when going in reverse (every 20 seconds) all through the night, every week night. I opted for the acoustic inserts, which took 3 months to receive from the time of my order. I was not happy about the 3 month waiting period. I was very timely with measuring the windows which included an arched window which I had to trace. The measurement process required 10 hours of time, most of which was the tracing (including time and cost to make several trips to buy materials for this). When they finally arrived, I installed the inserts and had approximately a 30% reduction in decibel levels. After nearly $5,000 in costs, I was hoping to have had better noise reduction.