Window weatherizing is an important task. Proper weatherizing your windows helps you prepare your home for winter, by preventing drafts and energy leaks from making your home cold at the chilliest times of the winter. Weatherizing can also help prepare your home for summer, by preventing the energy leaks that would cause your house to become uncomfortably warm. Making your home more energy efficient by weatherizing your windows can save you big money on your heating and cooling bills year-round.
So when should you weatherize your home – before winter, or before summer? Knowing the answer to this question can help you maintain a comfortable house year-round.
5 Signs It’s Time to Weatherize Your Windows
It’s time to weatherize your windows when the temperatures outside start impacting the temperatures inside. You’ll notice problems such as:
Drafts around your windows.
Hot spots or cold spots in rooms with many windows.
Rooms exposed to a lot of sunshine in the summer often feel “stuffy.”
Rooms with many windows are often too chilly in winter.
Your heating and cooling costs are going up with every winter or summer.
Fall or Spring: Which Is a Better Time to Weatherize?
The perfect time to weatherize your windows is when you’ve noticed there’s a problem. Weatherizing in the spring will protect your home when summer temperatures turn warm, while weatherizing in fall will protect your home when the winter weather arrives.
Weatherizing often lasts for about a year or maybe more. If you weatherize in fall, for example, you’ll protect your home through the winter and following summer – if you’ve done the work right.
Window Weatherizing Benefits
There are many benefits of weatherizing your windows:
Make you more comfortable at home. Weatherizing helps ensure that you’ll be more comfortable at home at all times of year when your windows are more energy efficient. You’ll reduce cool drafts in winter and hot spots in summer.
Save money on heating and cooling costs. The more inefficient your windows are, the more money you’ll spend heating and cooling your home.
Prolong the service life of your heating and cooling systems. When your windows are energy inefficient, this puts a burden on your heating and cooling systems, forcing your furnace and air conditioner to run longer and harder to keep your home comfortable. Weatherizing can help reduce that burden and prolong the life of your furnace or air conditioner.
Tips for Window Weatherizing
Weatherizing is a multi-step process. What you need to do depends on what kind of windows you have, how old they are, and where their deficiencies are. Here are four tips:
Install storm windows. Older windows sometimes have storm windows, which can improve energy efficiency in winter.
Weatherstrip. Installing weatherstripping where the window sashes meet and along the edges can help prevent drafts and energy leaks around your windows and doors.
Fix broken windows. Broken glazing can lead to energy leaks, especially in single pane windows. They can also be a safety issue for you and your family.
Replace caulking when needed. Caulking helps seal your windows to the building envelope and prevent air and water leaks. Inspect caulking regularly and replace as needed.
Install Energy Efficient Windows When They’re Needed
If your home has older windows, they could be costing you money and causing wear and tear on your HVAC system. Installing energy efficient windows can stop this problem dead in its tracks. Call Renewal by Andersen of New Jersey and New York Metro at (866) 609-5033 or fill out the short form on this page to make an appointment for a free consultation.
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