A draft is by definition cold air sinking fast, so if you don’t have a draft you have insulation. In fact, putting on the film (I am talking about the stuff that shrinks when you heat it with a hair dryer, not film that is put right on the glass) creates an air space with an R value of 1 and two surfaces with an r each of .16, totalling 1.32. since a single glazed window is R .96, putting on film more than doubles the R value.

I can’t insulate my walls. Mostly false.

If you have an old house like mine with 8″ of brick, 3/4 inch strapping topped with lath and plaster there is nothing you can do. the plaster breaks the voids up and trying to put any kind of foam in just pushed the old plaster right off the wall. I have tried it, there is nothing you can do.

“Older double-hung windows may have gaps at the sides or at the meeting of the two lites, for example, that one would not want to caulk and that cannot be easily and securely weatherstripped.”

I go through two tubes of removable caulk per season on my 100 year old doublehungs and it pulls off like a dream in the spring.

A draft is by definition cold air sinking fast, so if you don’t have a draft you have insulation. In fact, putting on the film (I am talking about the stuff that shrinks when you heat it with a hair dryer, not film that is put right on the glass) creates an air space with an R value of 1 and two surfaces with an r each of .16, totalling 1.32. since a single glazed window is R .96, putting on film more than doubles the R value.

I can’t insulate my walls. Mostly false.

If you have an old house like mine with 8″ of brick, 3/4 inch strapping topped with lath and plaster there is nothing you can do. the plaster breaks the voids up and trying to put any kind of foam in just pushed the old plaster right off the wall. I have tried it, there is nothing you can do.

“Older double-hung windows may have gaps at the sides or at the meeting of the two lites, for example, that one would not want to caulk and that cannot be easily and securely weatherstripped.”

I go through two tubes of removable caulk per season on my 100 year old doublehungs and it pulls off like a dream in the spring.

There are removable caulk tapes that can serve similar purposes. And storm windows can also cut down on the associated problems, as well.

There are many good steps that can (and should) be undertaken.

There are removable caulk tapes that can serve similar purposes. And storm windows can also cut down on the associated problems, as well.

There are many good steps that can (and should) be undertaken.