Putting bubble wrap on glass sliding door for insulation?

8 comments

1. Honestly, I don’t know if the bubble wrap works, but I can tell you from experience that things will really heat up if your wife ever catches you trying to remove it.

2. It’s an added layer of insulation. Essentially it should help increase the temperature of the room by a degree while helping prevent heat from leaking outside.

3. In my house, I found that bubble wrap made a significant difference in the operation of my aircon. It used noticeable less power to heat to the same temperature. But my rooms are surrounded by windows on 3 sides.

   If you can, place the flat side of the bubble wrap toward you so there is a larger air gap between the window.

4. Yes, it does. I bubble wrapped all the windows I don’t look out of, and the bottom halves of my sliding glass doors. It made a big difference and I definitely didn’t turn up my heaters as much.

5. It seems [it actually works quite well](https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrapperformance.htm)

6. I get it it works, but it looks terrible. Especially if the windows are clear because you lose visibility. Any alternatives around this problem?

7. As long as the bubble wrap is in contact with the window and not just hanging in front of it it should make a huge difference. Needs to be no airflow over the glass to work best though.

8. The reason double pane windows work well is because of the air gap between the two panes. Air is a great insulator. A single pane window will work effectively with bubble wrap too because the bubbles provide the air gap necessary for the insulation.

   Source: I’m an HVAC engineer