They're your home's connection to the outside while you're inside, and they help provide natural light during the day and open up your home's stuffy air to fresh, cool breezes at night. Windows are also a big part of your home's energy efficiency
and play a role in your home's security, so they shouldn't be neglected or ignored for too long.
If it's been a few years since you last thought about your windows, you might be surprised to learn that replacing your windows does a lot more than give you new glass to look out of -- they're an integral component of any modern home and you could be leaving hundreds of dollars on the table with your old, drafty windows. In fact, window replacement is one of the best ways to invest in your home, and the money you spend on new windows isn't lost to some vanity -- it can increase your home's value and even help make you more comfortable.
Save on Energy Costs
For homeowners in warmer or colder climates -- or if you're one of the lucky ones that gets hot summers and cold winters -- new windows can help you take control of your skyrocketing energy costs, especially during the hottest and coldest stretches of the year. According to the Department of Energy, up to a third of your home's cooling and heating costs could be flying out the window, which leaves you paying for that 30 percent premium each month.
Once you replace your windows with energy efficient ones that don't have cracks, broken seals and other issues, you'll end up spending significantly less on your home's energy costs than ever before due to modern window amenities like double, triple and low-e window panes, as well as inert gases that are better at rejecting the transfer of heat or cold.
Give Your Heating and Cooling Systems a Break
Because windows have so much to do with your home's energy efficiency, the money you save on your energy bills isn't the only benefit when you decide to replace your windows. Home systems such as your heating and cooling systems can represent some of the most expensive repairs a homeowner can face, and if you're looking at total replacement, you could be on the hook for $10k or more for a failing air conditioner.
But with new, energy efficient windows, you'll be running your air conditioning and heating less, putting less strain on the delicate components that keep you and your family cool during the summer and warm during the winter. That translates to a longer projected lifetime for your home's costly systems, which is great when it comes on the top of the energy savings that new windows will provide.
Make a More Secure Home
Old windows may be cracked, damaged and drafty, and their frames could be rotting or otherwise decomposing before your very eyes. Locks that were installed decades ago may be rusted over and no longer work, and tricky windows may be more trouble than they're worth as they sit slightly open inside their sticky frames all year round. Unfortunately, your home's security is only as strong as its weakest link, and old windows are the biggest culprit.
Deciding to replace your windows solves all of it, and new windows -- should they ever break -- are safer than old windows that split into huge shards that can cut and seriously injure. New windows, on the other hand, break into tiny pieces that are less hazardous, and their frames won't stick or otherwise prevent you from securing and locking your home up each and every night.
Go for That Curb Appeal
Windows have a lot to do with the impression your home leaves when viewed from the street. It's called curb appeal, and homeowners know that it's one of the most important aspects of the value of your home. An excellent first impression can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the open market, and replacing your windows is one of the cheapest ways to add value to your home without getting involved in a tricky renovation project.
Furthermore, new windows give you an opportunity to highlight or flatter your home by giving a sense of newness to a home that may be many decades old. Better yet, when you're inside, new windows can give you more natural light, which can make your time at home even more enjoyable. And with UV coatings and other protective barriers, you'll be looking out for your home's furniture and fixtures, too.
Be More Comfortable at Home
Last but certainly not least, replacing your windows can help you be more comfortable at home. When your windows are more energy efficient, more secure and enhance the look of your home from outside, it makes the time you spend inside that much more rewarding. With more natural light and less noise with new, double- or triple-paned windows that are great at rejecting street noise, your time indoors becomes a safe haven from the world outside -- for your physical security as well as your mental state.
New windows are also easier to clean, repaint and refinish, so you won't have to spend as much time keeping up appearances with your outdated and slowly deteriorating windows. Replacement windows are also easier to operate, especially if you have little children, who will greatly appreciate the autonomy they gain with windows that don't bind or seize.
From Your Friends at Brothers Home Improvement