Home Ownership Walls, attics and leaks aren't the only culprits when it corns to heat loss. You can lose a lot of heat through your windows; the thermal resistance (R-value) of glass is very low. But before you spend the money on window improvements, check the age of your house and the shape it's in — it can affect your pay-back time.

Recently built houses are much more airtight than those built in the days of cheap fuel. In newer homes, air infiltration around doors and windows is reduced to 25 to 30 per cent of the total heat loss. Therefore, achieving a one or two-year pay back on window improvements is rare.

In older houses, most air infiltration and heat loss is due to leaking windows. Caulking windows, weather-stripping doors and adding storm windows can produce dramatic increases in energy efficiency and home comfort. Replacing the windows is similarly effective although the pay-back period is longer.

If your windows are too far gone to caulk, your alternatives are: replacing them with standard multi-pane windows; replacing them with special energy-saving multi-pane windows; or installing such add-on insulating systems as shutters or curtains.

The ideal window lets in maximum light and solar heating without losing a great deal of heat to the outdoors. A window with two panes of glass and an airspace between is better, moving the "cold point" away from the inside pane to the outside pane. The air space in such a sealed window acts an an insulator.




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Home > Home Ownership > Energy Economics > Cures For Window Pain

December 4, 2008