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Investing in energy efficient windows is one of the most intelligent investments a homeowner can make. Older windows fail to prevent heat transfer even when they are shaded and properly caulked. Newer types of glass that have just recently emerged on the market are needed to do this. Replacing windows will cost some dollars, but these dollars always find their way back to the homeowner in the form of energy cost savings that accrue consistently over time.
There are specific financial benefits that homeowners can expect from their investment in these newer windows. The first of these is monthly savings on typical cooling and heating costs.
Let’s look at cooling costs first. In the summer, solar heat travels straight through a window into a room. A person can actually see the beam of sunlight. When he or she passes through this beam of light, there is a noticeable warm spot. As sensitive as the body is to this warm spot, the thermostat in the HVAC system is even more acute. It will notice this increase in temperature and keep the air conditioner on longer.
The only ways to stop this is with unattractive window film or clear energy efficient windows. The new coatings on today’s glass do not diminish visibility. Both the beauty of the landscape and the sunlight streaming in through the window, can now be enjoyed without straining one’s budget.
Now let’s take a look at heating costs. In the winter time, heat transfers both around the glass and through the glass, making the area around the window much colder than the rest of the room. Caulking the windows alone will not stop all of this heat transfer. Older glass is prone to lose heat and will still allow much of the heat the homeowner has paid for to escape to the exterior of the home.
Newer energy efficient windows are made with better forms of glass that keep window surfaces warmer. With most of the heat trapped inside the house, there is less strain on the heater to keep pumping warm air into the cold spots in the room.
Investing in energy efficient windows will make a home more comfortable. With the cold spots gone, living rooms and bedrooms will feel warm wherever a person walks. Particularly in places under bedroom windows, this makes for much better sleep. There is also less condensation on windows, so the home is less prone to mold and mildew buildup that can happen in places where there is too much moisture.
The hot spots in the room will vanish in the summer, so some of the places in the living room which were too hot to enjoy sitting in now become very comfortable and inviting.
Financial payback may also come in the form of peak energy cost reduction. Peak heating and cooling costs represent the maximum electrical load used by the HVAC system. The size of a home’s HVAC system is determined by its average peak usage. Energy efficient windows often reduce heating and cooling costs so significantly that the peak load drops as well. The homeowner can then replace the HVAC system with a smaller, more cost effective equivalent.
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