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This content is paid advertising created in partnership with Indow. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.
Your home has never been so much of a haven, a place to feel comfortable and secure during difficult times. Yet your home is also busier than ever, the hub for work, study, fitness, spirituality, entertainment, and more. These conditions alone make it challenging for family members to focus without factoring in the most annoying disruption that also seems out of your control: noise pollution.
Be it rumbling street traffic in front of your house, boisterous neighbors and barking dogs in nearby backyards, or cacophonous construction all around, everyday outside noise interferes with concentration and performance, and is a considerable source of stress. Perhaps you’d been less aware of it when you and yours were in school, at jobs, and otherwise going about your business, but now you can’t help but notice the constant intrusion. So what’s the fix? Soundproof your house with Indow windows inserts, which can reduce outside noise by as much as 70 percent. If that sounds good, read on to see how these innovative products can bring real peace and quiet home.
Built to block.
You might be wondering how it’s possible for outside noises to sound so loud inside your house even when your windows are shut. Well, those disruptive sounds are carried by the air as vibrations, which can enter through glass, vents, doors, and other openings.
Indow inserts are designed to soundproof windows by reducing high frequency noises that get through the glass and openings. Constructed of rugged, quarter-inch acrylic glazing and edged in a patented silicone compression tubing, the inserts create a tight seal and dead air space between the insert and the window to stop sound from invading your home. The Indow Acoustic Grade inserts can reduce and cancel up to 70 percent of outside noise when placed over single-pane windows and up to 50 percent of noise when used on double-pane windows.
The science of soundproofing with inserts comes down to two main measurements: Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings and Outdoor-Indoor Level Reduction (OILR)—and two separate lab studies prove how well Indow inserts work.
- Research by the British Columbia Institute of Technology found that Acoustic Grade Indow window inserts (installed over double-pane windows) can provide an STC rating as high as 45. Compare that to single-pane windows alone, with an STC rating of only about 26, and double-pane windows, with an STC rating between 33 and 35. Only a 10-inch-thick masonry wall can soundproof better than Indow.
- The Green Building Research Laboratory at Portland State University put the Indow inserts’ OILR to the test and found that Acoustic Grade inserts placed over single-pane windows reduce noise by 18.9 dBAs (which stands for A-weighted decibels, a scale of sound measurements), while Standard Grade inserts over single-pane windows reduce noise by 10 to 12 dBAs.
Customized for your needs.
One-size-fits-all inserts do not work at blocking noise since a super tight seal is needed. With Indow, a precise, snug fit is ensured via a laser measuring system, after which each individual insert is custom made in one of three colors to blend in with your window frame. You can order Indow inserts to fit virtually any size window, and even get them for skylights. Once installed, the look is completely unobtrusive, and since Indow inserts are an effective alternative to window replacement—yet are placed inside your home—they’re crucial to historic window preservation in older houses.
Simple DIY installation.
Unlike replacement windows, which require pricy, time-consuming professional installation, just about anyone can install Indow inserts in just a few minutes. All you do is press them in place, no mounting hardware hassles to fuss with. And they’re literally do-it-yourself, since for most commonly sized windows, putting them up is a one-person job. So if you were thinking of installing vinyl replacement windows (at between $66 and $87 per square foot) or new wood windows ($71 and $109 per square foot), you may wish to think again in favor of noise-reducing, money-saving Indows, which start at just $27 per square foot.
Awesome additional benefits.
Indow inserts’ soundproofing capabilities are remarkable on their own—but they’re just the beginning. An Indow insert combined with a single-pane window provides 94 percent of the thermal insulation of a standard double-pane window. Indow inserts also dramatically reduce drafts, providing up to 20 percent less energy consumption, and significantly lower heating and cooling bills. Plus, you can customize your inserts to block various degrees of UV light for greater privacy and sounder sleep.