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Window plugs
A long time ago, on a forum far, far away....
someone suggested plugging windows in the house with sheet foam. I kinda poo-poo'd it, saying it would turn the rooms into black holes.
Well I need to partially apologize to whoever that was.
I've made a bunch of plugs from cast-off white styrofoam sheet and yes, the rooms get pretty dark. BUT...
I've made about half of the plugs easily removeable and I take them out whenever it's light out, and put them in whenever I'd turn the light on in the room anyway... basically overnight. The removeable ones have been "bordered" with 2" clear tape so that millions of little balls don't slough off every time they're handled.
I haven't quantified how much good they do, but I'd sure think they help, and I think they would be better than the interior clear shrink plastic I'd used in the past. I suppose a guy could go online and find insulative values for crappy old windows, and values for various thicknesses of styrofoam sheet and come up with some sort of estimate.
It won't really show up in the utility bills unless I also have information on degree-days for those periods.
Anyway, they aren't much trouble aside from the huge mess I made cutting them with a knife. Oh, to have a hot wire foam cutter.
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