Power, heat and light

Insulate windows for a cold night

Hold the heat in one room tonight with bubble wrap on the glass and heavy blankets over every window.

Time45 min

LevelEasy

Steps5

Official sources2

Why it matters

Windows lose heat much faster than walls. Covering them at night is one of the quickest ways to keep a room warmer when the heating is off.

What you need

Gather these before you start.

Heavy blankets, quilts or thick curtains: 1 per window
Bubble wrap: enough to cover the glass
Window insulation film kit (optional): 1 per window
Masking tape or painter's tape: 1 roll
Scissors
Spray bottle of water
Hair dryer (for film kits, when there is power)

Step by step

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Pick one room

Choose the room you will live and sleep in during the outage: pick one with few windows and on the side away from the wind.

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Bubble wrap the glass

Cut bubble wrap to the size of each pane, mist the glass with water and press the wrap on with the bubbles facing the glass. It stays put and peels off with no marks, and it still lets daylight in.

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Add film if you have it

Plastic film kits tape to the frame and make a sealed air layer. Fit them before winter, while you have power to shrink them tight with a hair dryer.

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Hang heavy covers at night

At sunset, hang blankets or quilts over the windows and tuck them at the sides and bottom so cold air does not spill into the room. Close the curtains behind them.

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Open them to the sun

On sunny days, take the covers down from windows that get the sun so the light can warm the room. Put them back up before the sun goes down.

The numbers

What	Amount
Time to set up one room	45 min
Heavy blankets or quilts	1 per window
Painter's tape	1 roll
Bedroom windows kept easy to open	at least 1 per bedroom
Life of a film kit	1 season

Ready.gov, Winter weather

Stay safe

Keep at least one window in each bedroom easy to open as a fire exit.
Keep blankets and curtains well away from candles, heaters and stoves.

When you're done

Result	A room whose windows hold in noticeably more heat through a cold night.
Keep it ready	Store the bubble wrap and tape with the winter kit. Film kits are good for one season.

Questions people ask

How do you insulate windows with bubble wrap?

Cut the wrap to the size of each pane, mist the glass with water and press it on with the bubbles facing the glass. It holds without tape, peels off with no marks and still lets daylight through.

How do you keep a house warm without power?

Heat one room instead of the whole house: pick one with few windows, on the side away from the wind, and cover its windows at sunset. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.

How do you insulate windows for winter without plastic?

Hang heavy blankets, quilts or thick curtains over the windows at night and tuck them in at the sides and bottom. On sunny days take them down from the sunny windows so the light can warm the room.