Preventing Condensation, Stopping Drafts and Other Challenges With Windows

Windows are the eyes to a house's soul – if your windows are big and beautiful so too is your home, but they can also include a range of challenges as well. With sub par windows, you can look forward to a drafty home with high heating bills. Similarly, there are also moisture issues – for example, if you don't seal the space between your double panes securely enough, you will get a build up of condensation. Having lived in old houses and having helped choose the windows for new houses, I'm familiar with a range of challenges associated with windows. If you want tips and ideas, you've come to the right spot. Please, explore and enjoy.

Characteristics Of An Energy-Efficient Window

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When the time arrives to replace the old windows in your home, you should consider aesthetics in your decision for your new windows, but more importantly, you should consider how the windows you choose will help you to save money on energy costs. Windows, especially single-pane windows are the weakest point in your home's insulation envelope. So taking steps to improve the insulation provided by your windows will help to reduce heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer. To choose energy-efficient replacement windows, pay attention to window film, the number of panes, and the fill between panes. 

Window Film

No matter how many panes of glass your window has or what kind of film you have between the panes, the sun's rays can still travel through the window and heat up your home. To prevent this type of solar heat gain, you should treat your windows with a reflective window film. Such a film can reduce your cooling costs by 23% by reflecting the sun's energy away from your home and heating costs by 25% by reflecting heat back into your home during the winter. 

Pane Considerations

When you install a multi-pane window, an easy mistake is to think that the number of panes will provide increased insulation. Heat can be transferred through three panes of glass as easily as one since glass itself is a poor insulator. Instead, it is the space between the panes that is critical. By filling this space with a gas, manufacturers can partially isolate the inside pane from the cold air moving over the outside pane. Three panes are better than two because they provide two separate pockets of gas to insulate the inside pane. As critical as the number of panes is the space between panes is just as important. The thicker the layer of gas, the less heat will transfer through the gas. 

The Fill

Some gases are denser than others, and denser gases help to slow heat transfer more than thinner gases. Thus, by filling your windows with a noble gas such as argon, you can improve the insulation and thus the savings provided by your windows. 

While a triple-pane, argon-gas-filled window which has been treated with an energy-efficient window film will cost more than a double-pane, air-filled, non-treated window in terms of what you pay upfront, energy-efficient windows can drastically reduce how much you pay to heat and cool your home. Thus, the windows will pay for themselves in terms of energy savings, and once you have paid off your windows, the reduced energy costs translate to pure savings. Thus, you should look for the most energy-efficient windows you can afford whenever you have to replace your existing windows. 

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27 July 2017