Windows or insulation??

Past experience has shown me bigger return on insulation and weatherproofing over windows.

Insulation. Attic space first.

Insulate the attic first IF there's no insulation there already. If the attic already has some, even if it's not optimal, and the basement is bare concrete, insulate the basement first.

Also, air sealing, which costs less for materials but more for labor, is often as good of bang for the buck as insulation. Air sealing tasks might include finding and sealing open wall tops, electrical and plumbing holes, and the gap around the chimney in the attic, as well as holes in the sill area in the basement, gaps around woodwork, and the gap around the attic hatch.

You do the sealing up in the attic. So, every place that a wire comes up through the top plate of one of your walls, you seal the hole it comes up in with the foam in a can (like Great Stuff).
Same for plumbing runs that go up through the top plates of walls.

Check all the other things like bathrom exhaust fans.

Can lights can be bad air leaks -- you can build a little box around them with rigid foam board glued together with Great Stuff and then cellulose right over.

People tend to think that windows are the worst infiltration leak and I'm sure they are sometimes, but the studies show that exfiltration from the living space to the attic that then pulls in cold air from outside is the worst source of infiltration.

If you have heating or cooling ducts going through the attic its good to check all the joints and use the duct sealing mastic (not duct tape) at the joints, and insulate them.

There is a book by Bruce Harley "Insulate and Weatherize" very good -- very hands on.

Gary

Our house was built in 1930. We rented here for years. We finally paid to blow insulation in the attic ourselves as it was going to benefit us. About 5 years later, the landlord sold a bunch of timber & we talked him into blowing in insulation in the house walls & putting storm windows. He hired it done & it really wasn't that hard of a job. I could have done it. Drill holes between each stud on the outside, blow in the insulation, & plug the hole. Wow! What a difference. We have since bought the place & about 5 years ago we remodeled & finally put in new windows with vinyl siding. Can't believe how much it helped! Blowing in the attic though is the very first thing I would do. Heat rises & you lose a lot of your heat through the roof if there is no insulation in between.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

Insulation! Windows are so expensive the payback period is 25 years or more.

A rarely-mentioned option is thermal quilt blinds. Not the crappy "thermal curtains" from the store. Real thick quilted blinds that you will have to make yourself. We made some foam covers to try it out - take your windows from R1 to R5 at night and you will make the house much more comfortable.

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Insulation.

Bubble wrap works well for additional windiow insulation

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Roger

This winter when it was so bitterly cold, we even used $2.97 polar fleece blankets over the windows and patio door. They really saved us on those -25°f nights.

The insulation in our attic had settled to even with the 2x4s, so we had an additional 12" of insulation blown in. Saved us 30% on electric in the summer, and 25% on propane in winter. Well worth it.

When I re-sided the house a couple years ago I changed out the windows. The originals were double pane, but the very poorest quality. It made a difference, but not nearly as remarkable as the insulation.

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