top of page

Reducing outside noise with Window Savers

In addition to reducing energy costs, Window Savers can dramatically help reduce outside noise in your home. Rooms facing a playground or a busy street can often benefit from utilizing heavier Plexiglas or acrylic in their Window Savers. We recommend 1/8" thickness for most applications, but our magnetic system will handle any thickness up to 1/4" with the simple addition of hanging pins to support the extra weight. See our FAQ page on oversized windows.

By our actual test, standard 1/8" Plexiglas achieves 9.5 db noise reduction. This is equivalent to 45% sound reduction. When 3/16" Plexiglas is used, further reduction to 14 db occurs, equaling a 67.5% reduction. The best acoustical performance is attained by using 1/4" thickness.

To check our figures, we queried two leading manufacturers of acrylic sheets. With a 2" air gap, they reported decibel reductions by frequency, as follows:

Window Savers - Interior Storm Windows - Sound  Reduction - Noise Reduction

A friend of ours is an acoustical engineer and he accounts for the differences between ours and the manufacturers' results in this manner:

  • Our test methods and equipment were primitive.

  • Manufacturers sometimes stretch their data.

  • We are very conservative in our claims.

Please note the good and bad news:

Bad news:  Your Plexiglas cost will most likely rise in proportion to its increased weight. Second, even heavy Plexiglas can't stop the low-frequency rumble of a truck. It takes a masonry wall to do that.

Good news:  The noise reduction you will achieve will be almost entirely at the mid-to-high-frequency end of the spectrum. These are the children's squeals and rushing traffic sounds that jangle ones nerves.

bottom of page