How can I isolate a single-glazed winow better/ heat the room better?

Question

So I live in Edinburgh, Scotland and all the old buildings are listed, which means that they don't have double-glazed windows in most cases. So my flat is freeezing in the winters, mostly because you can feel the cold going straight through the thin windows.

Does anybody have a tip for me how I can heat the room better without altering much (as the flat is rented)??

Answer 1

Quite a few years ago I was in Edinburgh helping some friends fix up a special flat.  The ideas you already have about "storm windows" are good as far as they go but in the US many windows are "double hung" and slide past each other.  In Edinburgh the often leaded glass windows were hinged on the side.  Often the frames were metal which is very conductive for the cold.

It is true that what you need is another window. Often your windows are set into rather thick stone walls.  The alcove that goes to the window is where you need to set your new "window."  Because it is just a flat that is listed and you don't own you want to be as inexpensive as possible.  Therefore 2 suggestions:  

You can use some kind of plastic film and tape it (we have blue tape that looks like masking tape here.  It is available in painter's shops and won't pull paint off when it is pulled up.) around the window to create another barrier to the weather.  Sometimes there are "kits" to do this that have a particularly clear film that you heat shink (with a hair drier) to take out the wrinkles.  If you don't mind looking at a fuzzy world then any plastic film will do.  You can do this on the inside.

The other method has the advantage of being reusable if you can stay in the flat.  You use ridged plastic sheeting.  Here we call it plexi-glass and in Australia they call it perspex.  Both are brand names for clear acrylic sheeting.  You might be able to tape this directly to the window or make a frame for it out of wood if you are handy or know someone.  If you make a frame you might be able to "attach" it in the alcove by using wedges around the frame instead of nails or screws or tape.

In either case this second window works best if the air gap between the two windows is as small as possible and air can't leak around the windows.

Traditionally, heavy drapes were used for the problem you are experiencing.  In a college dorm, I once had I covered not only the window but the entire exterior walls with some red drapes that came from a second hand shop.  I had the warmest room around but the decor fit right in with every other unusual thing people were doing.  

When you do get heat it might be by a radiator.  If so you can "pull" more heat from it by putting a small fan by the radiator.  There are ways you can attach a sensor to the radiator to tell when it is hot and so turn on the fan.  (But I would suggest you don't advertise the fact as, unlike insulation, what you get someone else loses.)  

Good luck and fair weather.

Answer 2

# 1 is a good idea.

You could also make a temporary window insert out of 2x2 wood and polyethylene sheeting. Just build a frame to fit inside the window well, and cover it with the plastic sheet fasten it with staples.  

Plexi-glass would look better, but cost more.

Answer 3

Make "storm windows?  In US lots of people have storm windows that fit on the outside of their single glazed windows.  

Not the best solution for you, but maybe some silicone caulk and sheets of glass or plexiglass on the inside of your flat might help?

Other aid could be insulated curtains.  In DC Metro and other places these are mandatory in certain apartment buildings.