PART 1: RETROFITS OR “HACKS” FOR YOUR EXISTING WINDOWS

Are your energy bills burning a hole in your pocket? Have you ever wondered how much you would actually be able to save if you had a more energy efficient home? These days, everybody needs to save money, which is why so many people have begun to turn their homes into energy efficient “money saving” machines.

Unfortunately, so many have been fooled into thinking that the most practical way of making a home energy efficient is to invest in “modern” energy efficient devices or building materials. Doing so would be an excellent way to lower your energy costs, if you had the money to invest. Unfortunately, not everybody has tens of thousands of dollars to spend at will.

If your budget is a bit tight, but you still want an energy efficient home, there is a way to accomplish this. You can turn your current windows into energy efficient ones without breaking the bank. Here’s one “hack” among many you can try.

Create a Double-Glass Window

Most energy-efficient windows being manufactured today are made of two or more layers of glass to prevent energy from passing through the glass panels. You might be able to do the same with your current windows.

PART 1: RETROFITS OR “HACKS” FOR YOUR EXISTING WINDOWS

You’ll need to measure the glass panels and have new glass panels cut out for you. Once you have the new panels, apply a strip of putty to the edges of the existing window glass panel. Fit the new glass panel into place and hammer glazing pins into the rabbet, but remember to place a small piece of cardboard on the side of the glass so they don’t touch it. Once the new glass panel is in place, apply more putty on the sides and you’re done. Of course, expect professionals to do a better job of this than you ever will – DIY jobs are really better handled by the pros.

* * * * *Using simple hacks such as the one above to make your existing windows energy-efficient is a great way to save money. However, if you do have a bit of extra money to invest in energy-efficient replacement windows, that would certainly be better. Before you go spending your money, make sure that you go through the next part of this blog post to find out what ENERGY STAR recommends.

PART 2: ENERGY STAR RECOMMENDATIONS

In Part I of this blog series, we took a look at a couple of tips to convert your existing “non-energy-efficient” windows into energy-efficient ones without spending too much money. However, if you do have money to spend on replacement windows, by all means do so, but make sure you purchase the best ones for your home. One way to do this is to follow the recommendations of ENERGY STAR, which we’ll discuss in this post.

Just in case you’re not familiar with Energy Star, it’s a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) project that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment by using energy-efficient products, and save some money in the process. The agency provides guidelines on what to look for when purchasing energy-efficient products and building materials, including windows.

According to Energy Star, windows gain or lose heat by:

• Air leakage around the window • Radiation of heat into the home • Direct conduction through the glass

Energy-efficient windows provide a solution to those problems. Precisely how much a window is able to control those factors is measured according to U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), and Air Leakage.

PART 2: ENERGY STAR RECOMMENDATIONS

U-FACTOR

U-factor determines the rate of non-solar heat flow being conducted by the window. When purchasing new or replacement windows, make sure that you find the lowest U-factor.

SOLAR HEAT GAIN COEFFICIENT (SHGC)

This measures how much solar radiation is transmitted through the window as heat. You’ll need to look for low SHGC ratings so that less heat from the sun goes through the windows.

AIR LEAKAGE

This measures the rate of air leakage around the window. Naturally, you’ll need to find low air leakage rates when purchasing new or replacement windows.

* * * * *You might be excited about purchasing energy-efficient windows, but there is one more thing that you should give importance to – installation. You’ll need to consider quite a number of things when it comes to installation and we’ll discuss some of them in the final part of this series, so stay tuned!

PART 3: INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

After going through Parts I and II of this series, you might think that you’re ready to buy your new energy-efficient windows and begin saving money on energy costs – but hold on a bit. There’s one more thing that you’ll need to consider first: installation.

Experts agree that a good amount of energy is lost through the windows. While it would be great to maximize energy efficiency by converting all your windows into energy-efficient ones, you might want to ease off a little and consider the following when it comes to installing new windows.

State Building Codes

Every state has building codes that you need to follow. The code is for the protection of the inhabitants – and there will no doubt be a few things about replacing windows. Your state’s building codes will have restrictions on what type of glass you can use under certain situations. Take the time to consider what windows you’ll be replacing and check your state’s building codes to ensure that you’re not going against it. If you’re not familiar with these sorts of things, you can have your contractor assist you and, well, manage the entire window replacement project for you.

PART 3: INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

Air circulation

Another important installation factor you’ll need to consider is the design of your home’s ventilation system. Air inside an enclosed space needs to be able to circulate well or you’ll be risking your own – as well as your family’s – health. Make sure that the new energy-efficient windows won’t interfere with the ventilation system of your home.

Location of the window

While you certainly want all of your windows to be energy-efficient, you don’t want to waste money on overkill. You’ll need to consider the climate of your location and the actual location of the window. Naturally, hotter and colder climates need to have more energy efficient-windows. If you live in a location where it’s neither too hot nor too cold during different times of the year, you might not need to exceed the recommended Energy Star values.

You’ll also need to consider the location of the window. If the window is facing the sun, it certainly needs to be more energy efficient. Otherwise, you can make do with less energy-efficient ratings.

RBA PORTLAND

18151 SW BOONES FERRY RD PORTLAND, OR 97224

503-465-8600

RenewalByAndersenNW.com