Energy costs can often go through the roof as the seasons change and the outdoor temperatures get more extreme. Running your HVAC system to heat or cool your home is typical in the height of summer or the dead of winter and you’re already expecting to pay a bit more.

However, those energy costs can get even higher when you are forced to run your system much longer than necessary just to maintain a comfortable temperature in the home. The main reason for this lies with your windows. Sure, they’re shut tight when you turn your HVAC system on, but are they really keeping your climate-controlled air from escaping outside?

The answer in many homes across the country is no. More homeowners are finding themselves spending more just to keep the house comfortable and, little to do they know, they don’t need to be doing all of this if they just winterized their windows.

These are small steps to take in order to save big through the winter months as you take precautionary measures for increasing energy efficiency in your windows. Best of all, they’re not complicated or expensive options to implement. If you fix drafty windows now, you can be sure you’re ready for when those temperatures plummet and you need to heat your home to keep you and your family safe and comfortable.

Here are some tips on how winterizing your windows will help conserve energy from your favorite

Colorado Springs window replacement company.

Insulated Window Dressing

We all like to dress up our windows to make them more appealing both inside and out. The options available include drapes, curtains, and shades, each one offering a distinct, pleasing aesthetic.

But did you know that your choice of window dressing can also help add some insulation to your windows? It’s true, installing insulated drapes or curtains in front of your windows will create a boundary through which very little heat is able to permeate.

If it can’t get through your insulated window coverings, it certainly won’t be able to seep through your thin panes of glass. Even better, this is an economical option that you can use year round, not just to retain heat in the winter, but prevent it from getting into your home in the summer.

Bubble Wrap

How does one conserve energy with bubble wrap? It’s when you apply it directly to the glass surface of your windows to form a barrier to prevent heat loss. It works like a film in which you cut pieces of bubble wrap to fit each pane of glass in your window unit and then stick on the pane to make it tougher for the heat in your home to escape.

Due to the way bubble wrap is made, it can also be a means for increasing your privacy from the outside world since the bubbles will effectively obscure the view in your window.

Bubble wrap is pretty easy to affix to your window and it’s a cheap material to purchase in bulk. Most hardware and shipping stores sell rolls of bubble wrap at low cost.

Magnetized Vinyl Window Insulation

Using a thick vinyl coating for your windows can be a little more flexible than using bubble wrap because magnetized vinyl is designed to let you remove and reapply it when necessary. The bubble wrap is meant to stay put until you tear it down. If you want to put it back, you need to go through the whole, measuring, cutting and application process again.

But not with magnetic vinyl. You simply apply a thin line of magnetic paint along your window trim, wait for that to dry, and then attach your vinyl to it. No tape or adhesive necessary and when you want to take it off, simply remove it and save it for the next time you want to use it.

Spray Foam

In some instances, the window glass isn’t just the only thing allowing the heat to escape from your home. The window frame itself may be your culprit as it has settled and misaligned out of space after years of wear and tear.

There might not be any physical damage to the window unit or the frame, but gaps and cracks might have developed in the surrounding areas.

You have some options when it comes to fixing this type of problem, one of the best is polyurethane spray foam. This material acts as quick-expanding insulate that can fill up large gaps and cracks that have opened up between the frame and your home’s drywall and plaster.

But just be careful about applying this foam and be sure you’re filling every area that has been compromised. You don’t want to be creating further damage just to close up the gaps that currently exist.