Check Your Windows

Through the winter you may be paying thousands more than you should be in utility bills if your windows are out of date. There are only so many things you can do to reduce the heat loss or gain within the home. You can cover them with treatments or even faux wood blinds but in the end there is still an unnecessary amount of heat loss without you have updated windows. It is not only the amount of money you lose as a result of inefficient windows, but because the utilities cost themselves are increasing. Unfortunately the same is true for cool air loss during the summer.

Here are some things to look for as you inspect the windows in your home;

The Window Seal – examine the layer of caulking between the window itself and the frame. What tens to happen over time is the weight and the weathering of the windows cracks will begin to form. These cracks that form can be dangerous in a few ways. First because the water can leak in causing water damage, and second because these cracks can ever get larger causing worse problems.

The window slide – Make sure the window can easily slide in and out, if not it means the windows or the window frame are out of line. If this happens it can lead unnecessary wear on the window which will eventually lead to leaks from weather.

Check for Condensation – This is simply where water is forming on the inside of the window because the inside temperature is warmer than that on the outside, causing the air to condense and form moisture. This moisture will eventually work its way down in the frame and can cause rotting in the wood. Rotted wood can cause mold or worse depending on where you live.

Check your sprinklers? That's right, you need to make sure there is not a powerful sprinkler spending too much time working over the outside of the window as again this will create a problem with the wood absorbing too much of the moisture.

As you can see the main problem is the water getting in a ruing the wood, so if nothing else make sure your windows are properly sealed and kept away from moisture where possible. New windows may not be cheap but in the end they will pay for themselves in energy cost savings.