It’s that time of year…
Make. All. The resolutions.
Clean eating, work out, work less, get outside more, etc. The list can feel never-ending in the world of all things improvements.
But I’m just going with…
Be more awesome than last year.
Ashley says that should be an easy goal for me… and I’m not really sure how to take that.
While we’re beginning to take down the Christmas decor, we do like to stop and give pause to how we can not only improve ourselves personally, but also improve our impact on this planet while we’re here.
It’s no large secret that we’re big fans of well-planned interiors, but maybe what we don’t share enough is that we’re also big fans of reducing our consumption of energy.
We recently had an e-score performed on our house, which is where an independent energy consultant comes out, and rates the energy efficiency of your home.
We scored a 9 out of 10. Ashley can get competitive when her house is being inspected, and she declared she wanted a 10. After all these changes, there’s still room for improvement, and we’ll get there… we still have to-dos on our list like a new front door and other little things that will help.
Anyway, today, we thought we’d share one of the major ways we were able to up the score, as we renovated our house and turned it into a home.
{Oh, and P.S. that e-score earned us a few rebates with the local energy provider, so that’s always nice.}
If you’ve followed along in the process, you know we replaced a lot of things in our home. I think that might come across as a gross understatement since we took it down to the studs.
But one of those improvements was new windows.
If you’re new to our journey, you can see the last post here and all the links to the previous post about the replacement there a-la all things windows.
Our inspector was highly impressed we’d taken the time to replace the windows and properly seal them. He said he sees this in less than 10% of the homes he inspects, but that in his opinion, it might be the biggest money saver people are missing out on.
We couldn’t agree more.
When we purchased this house, we were pretty sure that the windows were original to the home. They were drafty, single-pane and did a very poor job of keeping out any UV light or heat, much less keeping in any heat. And they had storm windows attached, which really killed the ambiance. Not to mention, we were concerned with all things fire safety and our family.
We knew what our power bill was in a 2006 home with double pane windows, but we couldn’t imagine what they’d be in our new-to-us 1970’s home.
Windows moved pretty high up on our list. It was something we knew we needed to change.
As we considered all the reasons to work with a company we trusted, we also wanted to make sure they had some pretty awesome energy-saving features.
First, we obviously wanted to make sure we were switching out our single-paned windows for double-pane windows.
That’s a no-brainer.
We also wanted to make sure we were using a company that specialized in replacements. Not one with a primary business that came from new builds. That may seem silly, but I tell people it’s like going to a primary care doctor for a heart condition. They can do a good job helping you… but there’s a reason cardiologists have jobs.
It’s good to pick a company that lives and breathes established homes. They’ll know how to care for them. They’ll have a better handle on tackling the energy issue.
Secondly, it was all about the warranty.
We’ve touched on this a lot throughout the process, but it still remains a huge selling point. If you put in the best window, but it deteriorates 12 months to 3 years in, you’re right back where you started – a poorly efficiency window. {That last point is the one that led us to Window World.}
We also loved the other innovative features for its window products, such as:
Warm-Edge Spacer System
For those of you who didn’t know {myself included here}, a window’s spacer system, or the component that separates glass layers, is remarkably impactful on the energy efficiency of the entire unit! A traditional, box-shaped spacer system can increase heat loss and cause condensation to form on the edge of the glass.
We actually encountered this problem in our 2006 home with a window that was only a few years old. And we had no warranty to cover us. Boooooo!!
Window World’s Warm-Edge Spacer is designed to block the path of escaping heat far more effectively, reducing condensation on winter glass.
The non-conducive edges eliminate any glass-to-metal contact and contribute to a reduction of edge-of-glass temperatures. So with its unique U-channel design, these spacers are far more effective than their dated predecessors {good to know}!
Low-E Glass
In addition to a window’s spacer system, the glass plays an important part in making a window energy efficient! Enter the SolarZone Low-E Glass! It’s created by applying a microscopic, undetectable metallic coating to the second surface of an insulating glass unit. The intelligent design blocks heat gain from the sun’s reflected rays in the summer while allowing warmth from shorter solar rays into the house during cold, winter months. Pretty smart, right?
We tested this when our awesome rep came to demonstrate the lack of heat transmitted through the glass. And we were honestly impressed by the difference. Something you don’t really think about when you consider windows for your home. It can be easy to be distracted by everything when it comes to a complete home overhaul, and we loved the way it was easily laid out.
Argon
Another big feature for energy-efficientw indows is the space inbetween the glass lites! Historically, it might be just dead air, but filled with Argon gas is a game changer. This colorless, odorless, non-reactive gas is the third most prevalent gas in our atmosphere. Its extremely low thermal conductivity and high density (Argon is 38% denser than air at 1.784 grams / liter at STP) making it an ideal insulating agent. Just another great feature that Window World put a lot of thought behind when it comes to all things windows, and how they work with your home.
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So going back to the energy score rating we mentioned previously, there were a lot of things that we did to make our home more energy efficient. But, replacing the old with the new when it came to windows, was one of the major changes that made a huge impact.
It’s hard to believe 2017 is almost here and as you consider ways to improve yourself with all things resolutions {or just vow to become more awesome} we hope you’ll consider ways to improve your energy consumption as you tackle those spaces.
New year, new you… new windows.
Happy new year!
:: This post was brought to you in partnership with Window World. All opinions are 100% ours. Please read our full disclosure pertaining to partnerships here ::
Laurie says
If you have older windows that are drafty, it is important to get them replaced. With old windows you will find it hard to get the home heated properly in the winter and have problems getting it cool in the summer and you will waste more energy. Great information on the different energy saving features of new windows. Thanks for sharing – love your home!