Save money on heating bills with DIY sash window insulation and help protect our environment. The estimates of the amount of energy lost through improperly installed or restored sash windows are staggering. It is important for all homeowners to pay attention to the problem of leaky windows, for their own energy cost savings and for the good of all.
Many older windows are single-glazed, which is not very much insulation from heat or cold. Their frames may be loose, which lets air through, and the sash weight channels may also be a source of leakage. Often these older, wooden windows are replaced with new windows, made of vinyl or metal. The fact that new windows units may have double or triple glazing and factory-installed weather stripping generally makes them more energy efficient.
From a cost-effectiveness viewpoint, repairing and restoring old windows makes a lot of sense, especially when you will do the work yourself. Replacement windows, which may have a better energy efficiency rating and which may raise the value of your home, are nevertheless a large investment that it may take years to recover in energy savings.
There are some easy and commonsense fixes. Awnings over windows will greatly reduce the amount of heat transfer over a summer. Tightening or replacing the locks on an old window will serve to bring the sashes tightly together, reducing the amount of air that will escape. Making sure the putty around the window panes is in good shape will prevent small drafts. Insulating films can be applied to glass without impairing the view through the window.
Most leaks involve loose sashes in the frames, and often the frames themselves will no longer fit tightly in their spaces in the walls. The sashes may be tightened with new latches that bring the sections together tightly to keep air from entering. To stop leaks around between the sashes and their frames, or around the frames where they meet the walls both inside and out, weatherstripping must be applied.
Other ideas are applying a transparent insulating film to the glass, encasing the whole window in a shrink wrap that lets in light but not air, or hanging heavy curtains. These are more temporary fixes and not as effective as weatherstripping. Of course, replacement windows can be installed, with high factor vinyl frames or metal ones that hold multiple sheets of insulated glass. Tax credits and rebates can offset part of the cost of replacement windows even if the homeowner installs them.
Save money on heating bills with DIY sash window insulation. It will be an improvement your whole family will appreciate.
Many older windows are single-glazed, which is not very much insulation from heat or cold. Their frames may be loose, which lets air through, and the sash weight channels may also be a source of leakage. Often these older, wooden windows are replaced with new windows, made of vinyl or metal. The fact that new windows units may have double or triple glazing and factory-installed weather stripping generally makes them more energy efficient.
From a cost-effectiveness viewpoint, repairing and restoring old windows makes a lot of sense, especially when you will do the work yourself. Replacement windows, which may have a better energy efficiency rating and which may raise the value of your home, are nevertheless a large investment that it may take years to recover in energy savings.
There are some easy and commonsense fixes. Awnings over windows will greatly reduce the amount of heat transfer over a summer. Tightening or replacing the locks on an old window will serve to bring the sashes tightly together, reducing the amount of air that will escape. Making sure the putty around the window panes is in good shape will prevent small drafts. Insulating films can be applied to glass without impairing the view through the window.
Most leaks involve loose sashes in the frames, and often the frames themselves will no longer fit tightly in their spaces in the walls. The sashes may be tightened with new latches that bring the sections together tightly to keep air from entering. To stop leaks around between the sashes and their frames, or around the frames where they meet the walls both inside and out, weatherstripping must be applied.
Other ideas are applying a transparent insulating film to the glass, encasing the whole window in a shrink wrap that lets in light but not air, or hanging heavy curtains. These are more temporary fixes and not as effective as weatherstripping. Of course, replacement windows can be installed, with high factor vinyl frames or metal ones that hold multiple sheets of insulated glass. Tax credits and rebates can offset part of the cost of replacement windows even if the homeowner installs them.
Save money on heating bills with DIY sash window insulation. It will be an improvement your whole family will appreciate.
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Looking for more information on how to save money on heating bills with sash window draught proofing? Get the exclusive low down now in our complete sash window refurbishment guide.
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