12/9    I live in a house with lots of windows.  The windows are all single
        pane, I don't feel very insulatled.  It's pretty cold in here.
        What are some things I can do?  Is there some sort of clear plastic
        sheeting I can buy that I can seal the windows with?
        \_ You rent/lease?
           \_ rent.  yes.  i rent.
        \_ Yes, there's shrink-wrap stuff you can get at a decent hardware
           store.
        \_ Turn on the heater? Hang some drapes? My house is the same way
           and unless you live in a very cold climate I wouldn't waste
           money "upgrading" my windows to dual pane anyway.
        \_ Wear warmer clothes while inside.  Its the cheapest/simplest way to
           solve the problem.  Seriously, if you live in California winter is
           relatively short and not really all that cold. -ERic
           \_ Agreed.  I upgraded my windows mostly because my wife wanted the
              better look.  -- yuen
              \_ Are you still getting laid?
        \_ I own my house.  Don't waste money upgrading to double-pane window
           if all you care is winter and your walls and celing are not
           well-insulated.  I upgraded mine to high-quality double-pane
           (Anlin).  They worked very well in summer in keeping the house not
           too hot by blocking the heat and only letting through light.
           However they did nothing in keeping the house warm in winter.  The
           windows them selves are fine, in that there is no condensation and
           they don't feel like a fridge comapred to the old windows.  But my
           windows themselves are fine, in that there is no condensation and
           they don't feel like a fridge compared to the old windows.  But my
           poorly-insulated walls and celing cover a much larger surface area,
           and they are the ones that lose heat to the outside.
           and they are the ones that lose heat to the outside.  (Both
           comparisons were done without using A/C or heater.)  -- yuen
        \_ I am in a similar situation. When I bought my house, I
           replaced everything to dual pane window, Milgard, including
           a sliding door to the backyard, for about 7k. In the summer
           my house is very cool (partly due to the window, partly due
           to the insulated metal roof), but in the winter it's cold.
           Not a lot of solar energy penetrating through the roof, and
           walls are not insulated and attic has only R13. You get the
           best hang for your buck adding insulation to the attic.
           Probably about 1.5k for a R30 blown-in, then the windows,
           and then the walls if you want your house to be more energy
           efficient. If you plan to be there for a while, then it is
           wise to do something about it. My city (Santa Clara) has a
           free energy audit, you may get something similar where the
           inspector can tell you what's the most bang for the buck
           for your house.
           \_ I guess Your Mileage May Vary, but my dual-pane windows
              seem to've cut at least 30% from the heating bill while
              allowing a few more degrees of heat to be kept in the
              house. Albuquerque, NM.
              \_ The rest of your house must be very well insulated. Even
                 dual pane glass filled with gas insulates poorly compared
                 to insulation in the walls and attic. One advantage of
                 dual pane is that it better blocks noise, but if you care
                 mostly about noise (and appearance, since dual pane looks
                 terrible) then go for insulated glass, which is what I
                 had installed. It is two sheets of glass stuck together
                 with a film between them (so still "dual pane" in that
                 sense). It blocks noise better and the glass is still
                 relatively thin so you don't have that ugly "dual pane"
                 look. They don't insulate as well as argon-filled
                 windows, but I didn't care about that much.
        \_ My wife got the dual pane argon filled windows and also had
           insulation blown into the ceiling. I don't think it was worth
           it in energy cost savings, but the heating bill is much lower,
           the house doesn't feel as cold (less draft from the windows) and
           most importantly, it is much quieter. The latter is important
           when you live in a city. It was worth the cost to me for the last
           improvement alone.
        \_ One of the reasons why I'll never live with my parents is
           they always want open windows regardless of how cold/hot it
           is. They think they'll suffocate and die. Ditto with A/C and
           heater in the car. I really don't enjoy being with my
           parents. How about you guys?                 -Chinese guy
           \_ My in-laws are not Chinese and they always open the windows
              to the house and the car, too. It drives me nuts. I
              especially hate the car window open with the wind blowing in my
              face, the smell of exhaust, and road noise.  Why do it when the
              car A/C works just fine?!
              \_ Are they from the "old" generation (pre-AC generation)
                 and are scared because friends/family members died from
                 carbon monoxide poisoning?             -ditto guy
              \_ My in-laws are the opposite.  They always keeps the windows
                 in the house shut.  They don't even like turning on the hood
                 when cooking (not that it'd do much with all the windows
                 shut, but still.)  They still don't open the windows when
                 they have cold or flu, so diseases always spread in the
                 house.  Drives me nuts.  -- Chinese with Chinese in-laws.