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    Best Window Insulation Kits From Our Tests

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

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    XFasten Window Insulation Kit, 3M Window Insulator Kit, Duck 10 Window Insulation Kit, and Frost King Window Insulation Shrink Kit
    The window insulation kits we tested were easy to install and remove.
    Photo: Consumer Reports

    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.

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    More on Energy Efficiency at Home

    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.

    How to Install and Remove a Window Insulation Kit


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    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Jodhaira Rodriguez

    Jodhaira Rodriguez is a senior 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.