Best Window Insulation Kits to Seal Drafty Windows - Consumer Reports

Covering your drafty windows with plastic can reduce your home's cooling and heating costs with minimal effort

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Drafty windows can make your home uncomfortable and significantly affect your heating and cooling bills. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that you can save an average of 15 percent on these costs when you seal the gaps around your home that are letting air in or out.

You could use weather stripping and window sealing tape to prevent air from leaking through the windows, but another option is a window insulation kit. With these kits, you seal off the entire window with a plastic film, not just the parts where there are gaps. But this isn’t the best option if you prefer to be able to open your windows occasionally.

The film in these kits doesn’t attach directly to the glass of a window. As long as you shrink the film properly with a blow-dryer, visibility isn’t really affected, so you don’t have to give up your view for a more comfortable home. From my experience, installation takes just 15 to 20 minutes with the right tools, which you probably already own—scissors and a hair dryer.

We tested four insulation kits to determine which were more durable, scratch- and puncture-resistant, and easier to install. This was the first time I had ever used any of these kits, and I found the process simple enough that I’m considering one for my own apartment windows.

See our review of the best window films from our tests.

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Jodhaira Rodriguez

Jodhaira Rodriguez is a multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. Before joining CR, she tested and wrote about cleaning and organizing products and major appliances like washing machines and dishwashers at Good Housekeeping. In her free time, you’ll find her reading, listening to true crime podcasts, or working on her latest hobby of the month.