When you move into an older house more than likely it will have older windows. Your first instinct will probably be to install replacement windows at once. Everyone has heard that old windows will cost you hundreds of extra dollars in heating or cooling costs, but is replacement really the best option? This is an extra important question when finds are tight and every dollar needs to be spent on vital repairs.
One thing is for sure when you have older windows. If you decide not to replace them, at some point you will have to repair them. More likely is that you will have to replace them fairly regularly until replacing them becomes inevitable. If that repair will require replacing or removing the paint, chances are high that the paint will contain lead. Be sure to be well informed on all the dangers of lead. Even small amounts of lead dust can cause massive amounts of damage to you and your family, even the family dog.
Even though it doesn’t seem that the old windows are very leaky, or are not really letting in that much air, they still can be. Old windows can be the biggest gap in your energy efficiency. Single-pane windows have a terrible R-value and no insulation, meaning a majority of the air in the home will be lost. If the caulking is worn and old, that can also allow massive amounts of air in and out. You can make some other efforts to improve the insulation of these old windows. For example you can install superb weather-stripping, re-caulk all the windows, and shrink-wrap them in plastic during extreme weather. This can help you minimize the air loss, but it won’t be as good as higher quality windows. So if energy efficiency is something that’s important to you, replacement windows are definitely in your future.
How Replacement Window Help With Energy
While you may not know it, your windows are the biggest problem in having an energy efficient home. The best solution to this is finding good, high quality replacement windows. This, of course, is not the only reason to go for good quality windows. You also don’t want to go to all the work of replacing the window just to have them fall apart in five years. Back in the early 1900’s such high quality materials were used that many of the windows in those houses are still in perfect condition over 100 years later. It’s all about the quality, but you need to know how to find it.
It doesn’t really matter what materials you are looking into buying, you can find the quality that you are looking for. There are two independent testing associations that you should check for certification from. These are the most important aspects to finding the replacement windows that will guide you to the best windows money can buy. No matter what the salesman will try and convince you of, use these facts and certifications as your authority.
The very best replacement windows are the ones certified by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). The AAMA is considered the top standard since they test the quality of the material, how the materials are assembled, and the integrity of the finished product. The testing is all and random and incredibly rigorous. Once a manufacturer decides to have the AAMA certify their window they sign a contract that allows the AAMA unannounced, random access to their production line. This ensures that you will get only the best quality.
The NFRC mainly focuses their testing on energy efficiency. This means they test for R-values of the glass and air infiltration, among others. But be aware that the NFRC label can be a little bit misleading. They will put their label on windows that merely meet the minimum standards, so some window will be much more energy efficient than others within the same company. They do provide the numbers and values that tell you just how energy efficient that particular window is, and they provide a guide to interpret these number. But ultimately it is your responsibility to figure out the greatest value. Ideally you want to find windows with both certifications to know you are getting the best. Be aware that both associations install a label on the side of the window. So it won’t be seen once the window is installed. To be entirely sure the certification exists, try to get a peek at the window before installation for this label.
Most important you need to determine if your savings will offset the cost of replacement windows. Sit down with a pen and paper and start adding. Figure out your current annual expenditures in heating and cooling. Now you need to figure out the cost of all your replacement windows. Add up how many windows you need and the cost of each. Let’s assume for the sake of these numbers that you will save 30% in energy costs. How many years will it take for you to get back the money you spent replacing the windows in savings? If it’s more than about five years then it may not be the right time to replace your old windows. It’s nearly impossible to make completely accurate analyses for this cost-savings projection, but it does give you a rough estimation of whether it will be a good investment.
