Montague pilots volunteer-built window inserts to cut heat loss and lower bills

Montague is testing an approach to improve housing energy efficiency for low-income residents and renters by building and distributing interior window inserts through community builds.

"Window inserts are reusable interior window inserts that reduce heat loss by up to 50% and significantly cut drafts if snugly inside the existing window frame," said Maureen Pollock, Montague planning director. Pollock said the town modeled its pilot on the volunteer nonprofit Window Dressers and hired a building coordinator and project coordinator to measure windows, order materials and organize community builds.

Why it matters: Pollock said window inserts can be an effective, low-impact measure for renters who cannot obtain landlord approval for permanent window replacement; the inserts are installed without drilling and are intended to be simple for recipients to help build and fit themselves.

Costs and scale: Pollock estimated a Window Dressers-style insert costs in the order of about $70 per unit and said the town expects to produce about 300 inserts through the pilot (not 300 households — multiple inserts per home are possible). The town will offer the inserts free on a limited, first-come/first-served basis and will use targeted outreach (food-bank lists, senior center and Community Action partnerships) to reach the most vulnerable residents.

Volunteer safety and contracting: Pollock said coordinators and contractors have worker's-comp affidavits and background checks; the town is using independent contractors to measure and install inserts for the pilot.

If the pilot succeeds, Pollock said Montague will seek additional funding to scale the work.