Volunteers help build window inserts at a fun community event in the fall.
Do you have older windows in your home that let cold air in and heat escape? Replacing all of the windows in your home can be an expensive project that often does not do as much good as spending that money on other insulation projects. There are other more affordable alternatives to fully replacing your windows. This fall, for the fourth year in a row, Sustainable Woodstock will be partnering with Window Dressers to host a community build, assembling 240 interior storm window inserts.
Each insulating window insert is made of a custom-made pine frame wrapped in two layers of tightly-sealed, clear polyolefin film and finished with a compressible foam gasket. The foam allows enough give for the inserts to be easily slid into place in the fall and removed in the spring, while holding firmly enough to provide a tight seal that stops drafts and adds two more insulating air spaces. They are installed on the interior side of the window, and usually do not require any alterations to be made to the window sill. This makes them a great option for homeowners, but also for renters because they will not alter the rental in any way.
The inserts are designed by the nonprofit WindowDressers. You can learn more at: https://windowdressers.org/. WindowDressers started in Maine and has since expanded to NH and VT. They bring volunteers together to build low-cost (or free) insulating window inserts for a participating town’s residents. The Upper Valley hosts several builds including Rockingham/Bellows Falls, Norwich/Hanover, Hartford/Hartland/Sharon, and Woodstock. The Woodstock build focuses on providing free inserts to all income-qualifying participants in Woodstock, Bridgewater, Hartland, Pomfret, Plymouth, Barnard, Reading, or Windsor
WindowDressers estimates that inserts save 1-2 gallons of heating fuel per square foot of insert per year. That adds up to savings of roughly 12-24 gallons of fuel per insert, per year. Inserts make your home more comfortable by stopping drafts and improving the warmth of interior spaces. With inserts installed, you will use less energy to heat your home, decreasing carbon emissions.
Last year our community built 238 window inserts for 28 families over 7 days with the help of over 100 volunteers, including local students and teachers. All of these inserts were provided to our community for free, made possible by grants and the human-power of generous volunteers.
Window Dressers estimates that on average, 10 medium-sized inserts will save 85 gallons of heating fuel per year. Last year we built enough inserts to save ~2,023 gallons of fuel/year.
To receive inserts, participants can sign up now through late spring. Our volunteers will begin measuring each and every window through the summer, and in the autumn we will build the inserts over a week-long community barn-raising style build. To be part of the Woodstock build you must live in Woodstock, Bridgewater, Hartland, Pomfret, Plymouth, Barnard, Reading, or Windsor. Sustainable Woodstock builds inserts for people who would not otherwise be able to afford them, and we plan to build a maximum of 10 inserts per house this year.
We are currently taking names for the 2025 WindowDressers build participants, and we are also recruiting volunteers to help measure windows this summer. To see if you qualify to receive free inserts at the Woodstock build, you can check your household income level at https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/income-limit. If you are below the low- or moderate-income level, you will qualify for free inserts. Those in the low-income category will be prioritized, but we encourage anyone interested to send us their contact details now. If you would like to sign up for inserts or learn more about volunteering to help measure and build, please contact Heather Knoll at programs@sustainablewoodstock.org.
