JUDGING THE VALUE OF REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

JUDGING THE VALUE OF REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

(This article is borrowed from Advanced Energy organization, www.advancedenergy.org

Windows, by Arnie Katz

Are you looking into windows? There’s so much information – and misinformation – out there today that it’s really hard to sort out the fact from the hype. To listen to some ads, you’d think that buying a particular brand of windows will save you enough to put the kids through college, buy a boat, take a vacation cruse to the Bahamas and still have enough left over to treat your window salesman to a fabulous dinner.

So first, let’s get rid of one of the big myths out there: In most existing homes, replacing the windows is not a high priority for saving energy. Typically, the highest priority items are:

Sealing any holes between the house and the attic and then adding attic insulation if needed.
Sealing the ductwork.
Tuning or replacing the heating and cooling equipment.

Replacing windows will save some energy and improve comfort, but is rarely a high priority in terms of how much you will save versus how much it costs.

In other words: don’t replace your windows expecting the energy savings to pay for the project! If, however, you need to replace the windows – they are rotting, they don’t work, and you are remodeling part of the house – then by all means spend the extra money to get energy-efficient windows. You will definitely save enough to cover the extra cost for the energy-efficient [upgrade] models in a reasonable period of time.

In a typical house, about 20% of the heating and cooling costs are caused by heat gain or loss through the windows – that is, heat flow through the glass and frame materials. Additional heat is lost or gained by air leakage around the windows or through leaky window seals. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about savings. If 20% of your heating and cooling costs are through the windows, and the window company advertises a 50% savings, that means you might save 50 percent of 20 percent, or 10 percent of the heating and cooling portion of your energy bill if the windows are installed correctly, which will typically be about 50% of the total utility bill.

Let’s say that another way: If your total utility bill (gas and electric) is $2000 a year, approximately $1000 of that will be for heating and cooling. Approximately $200 of that is caused by heat loss or gain through the windows. Good, new energy efficient windows can save you 50% of that, or $100 a year.

A note from Bob Bird:

My home has 16 windows. If I chose the least expensive, advertised replacement window ($189/window… $202.23/window with tax), my total window replacement cost is $3235.68. Following the Advanced Energy formula, it will take me 32.4 years to replace the purchase cost! I will be ahead by simply buying a 4% cd and re-investing each year…

Bob Bird

Bird Family Insulation

“Georgia’s Home Energy Pros”

404-538-9168