Inspired by this thread, I’ve got a related question. My roommate and I are getting ready to perform our annual fall ritual of covering the windows of our 100-year-old rented house with plastic sheeting.
Somebody in the other thread mentioned that putting up the plastic isn’t done to stop heat from radiating out, but to stop drafts. With that in mind, is there then any point to putting the plastic on windows that don’t open (I’m referring to windows that were never designed to open in the first place, not to “painted shut” windows)? IOW, are we talking strictly about drafts caused by cold air leaking through gaps around the windows, or do we include “convection” drafts caused by cold air on the inside of the cold glass falling and creating an indoor breeze?
This is the first house I’ve ever lived in where this was “necessary”, so I’m admittedly ignorant on the topic. My roommate, who has lived here longer than I have, doesn’t have any explanation beyond “it saves money” (though I suspect he believes that the plastic is insulating the windows). Is this actually saving us any money, or are we wasting time, plastic and money by tacking the stuff over the windows?