Like most everything in or on our home, windows will at some point need to be repaired or replaced. Older windows—for the sake of argument we’ll say most any window built fifteen or more years ago—weren’t built with the same efficient materials, or at the same tolerances as today’s modern windows are. It’s not the fault of the manufacturer, but the progress of using new technologies and new materials.

Why replace a window?

Windows are one of those things in or on the house that people don’t fix often because windows don’t appear to be broken. But what about the drafts coming in from a window loosely hung in its frame? What about the low R-Value (Insulation Value) of the window? What about your overly high energy bill when the climate is extremely cold or warm?

An inefficient window yields a higher energy bill. But how? Simple: an inefficient window has a lower insulation value, which means two things: the cold or hot air better penetrates the window from the outside in, and the output of the warm or cool air throughout the home is lost through the window from the inside: if you want proof of this, stand next to an inefficient window in the wintertime, and feel the cold against your skin—the cold you’re feeling isn’t necessarily the penetrating cold air, but the heat from your body being sucked out by the window.

Another reason to replace your home’s inefficient windows: the recoup on your initial investment. According to many models of home design, window replacement can recoup up to eighty percent of the initial cost, all of it added back into the home’s value. And you don’t have to replace all of the windows in your home immediately. Replace the windows that would benefit both your comfort and the economy of energy in the coldest and or warmest months. More efficient windows can also recoup approximately fifteen percent each year on your energy bills.

If you have any further questions about how to make your home more efficient, or how to incorporate new green efficient technologies into your lifestyle, call Bruce Tall Construction today.