Do your utility bills skyrocket when the temperatures soar or plunge? You turn off lights and adjust the thermostat, but the bills still seem much higher than they should be. Maybe you’ve even upgraded your insulation and installed Energy Star appliances, but your furnace and air conditioner still run nonstop most of the year. You may be losing energy through your windows, and replacement windows could turn things around. Here’s how to see if your current windows are costing you money.
How to Check for Leaks
To find out if your windows are the problem, conduct a home air pressure test. Seal off every opening you can so you know exactly where energy is being lost. First, close and lock all doors and windows. Shut exterior vents, fireplace flues and dampers. Turn on exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen. Next, light a small candle and pass it along your windows. If air is rushing in or out, the flame will be pulled along with the current. Find out how to seal your windows in our latest blog.
How to Test for Conduction
Air leaks aren’t the only way your home loses energy. Heat transfer can happen through solid materials like walls, doors and windows. Your walls are filled with insulation to keep this from happening, but your windows may not prevent heat conduction.
When you hold a ceramic mug full of coffee in your hand, you feel the heat from the liquid seeping through. Your windows allow the same heat transfer, especially if they have single panes. The window’s composition dictates how heat passes through.
Test the temperature near your windows on hot or cold days. Even a few degrees difference means your heating and cooling unit have to work harder around the clock to compensate for what’s coming in from outside.
How Window Replacement Saves Money
The EPA estimates installing Energy Star windows saves a typical home between $126 and $465 dollars every single year. That amount may be even greater based on how many windows you have in your home and which way it faces. There are several reasons why using Able Roof for window replacement services makes your home more efficient.
- All double pane windows aren’t created equal. Cheaply made replacement windows might not save you much at all. If there’s air between double panes that helps, but our windows have argon gas between the panes. This super-dense gas provides superior insulation.
- Construction matters. Heat energy transfers through the glass, but it can also flow through the frame. Choose frames that are fusion welded at the corners and filled with insulation.
- Proper sizing and installation stops air leaks. If your windows are made of the best materials but installed incorrectly, air can still enter your home around the frame. Able Roof’s expert window installers make sure each unit is square and level. We provide a water barrier, seal and insulation.
Stop throwing money out the window and find out how much you can save. Contact Able Roof for window replacement in Columbus, Ohio today.
