A Window Upgrade Can Save You Money Year After Year
If your home is always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, chances are your windows are to blame. The average 2,000 square foot house has about 300 square feet of windows. That’s 15% of your home that can either be an asset or liability.
Old, poorly insulated windows cost home owners $100s each year. In fact, studies show that 40% of heating and cooling costs are racked up from poorly functioning windows and doors. If a window is broken, has hanging glass or has broken seals it’s not doing its best work- keeping your home comfortable and giving your heating and cooling unit a helping hand.
How much can you expect to save on your monthly heating and cooling costs with new windows? Depending on how bad a shape your current windows are in you can expect a 25% (or so) savings. Imagine how much that will add up to within a year. Your new windows would eventually pay for themselves!
In addition to helping keep your home warm and cool, new windows also help give your heating and cooling system more frequent and longer breaks. This will help add years to your system, lessening the amount of wear and tear on it year after year. New windows will also add value to your home, look cleaner and (if you go with low-e glass) will keep damaging UV rays out of your home causing less fading to your furniture, window treatments and floors.
Windows are one of the most expensive features to replace so it’s important to make sure that your replacements work properly, are of good quality and are not drafty; all of which would defeat the purpose of replacing your old ones.
There are so many brands to choose from so you need a hands on experience. Visit window dealers in your area. Tell them why you are replacing your old ones (for example: to eliminate cool air and heat from escaping). Knowing why you are looking for replacements will help a dealer know which brands to direct you to.
Test each brand before you pick a winner. Make sure they are easy to open and close, are of good quality (there’s no reason to invest in cheap windows) and that they meet all of your needs.
Each window will have its own energy label. Compare these labels as you are shopping. For the maximum amount of energy savings you want to go with the highest rated brand. The U-factor is what you need to look for. The lower the U-factor the better!
Once you’ve picked out your brand you’ll be all set to have them installed and start saving money on your monthly energy bills!