How you can benefit from installing energy efficient windows

Homes leak more energy through the windows than anywhere else, even when the windows are securely closed. This is because many homes have older windows, single pane windows or spaces in between the window pane and the glass. During the summer, the cool air conditioning goes right outside through these inadequacies in your windows and allows warm air to seep in, forcing you to crank up the AC even higher for a costly energy bill, wear on your AC unit, and a negative carbon footprint. You can benefit from installing energy efficient windows by preventing energy leaks and keeping cool air in and hot air out for a more comfortable home.

Energy savings

The most obvious benefit to installing energy efficient windows is the energy savings you’ll enjoy for many years. Depending on the size of your house, where you live and your lifestyle, you could be spending hundreds of dollars a year heating and cooling your home, adding up to thousands of dollars within just a few years. Energy Star estimates that energy efficient windows can reduce your heating and cooling costs by as much as $465 in one year, based on current energy costs. The cost of energy has been steadily going up over the years, and as our climate becomes warmer our demand for resources isn’t going away. Rather than staying stuck in the cycle of paying to heat and cool your home, then paying even more the next year, and so on, reduce your dependency on high energy costs with energy efficient windows.

Reduce stress on the environment and on your heating and cooling units

Speaking of climate and energy use, using all that energy isn’t good for the environment. You can make an impact by installing energy efficient windows and doing your part to reduce your need for environmentally damaging energy resources. Plus, by reducing your need for energy, you’re reducing the wear on your heating and cooling units, which translates to fewer repairs, less frequent replacements, and fewer parts ending up in a landfill. It’s a win for you and for the environment.

Cost effective

In addition to directly saving your household money on your energy utility bills, energy efficient windows are cost effective in other ways. You can take advantage of Federal tax credits, and many local governments offer rebates when you replace a certain percentage of your windows with double pane, coated energy efficient windows, covering 10% or up to $200. The flexibility of the tax credit and rebates means that you can replace the most ineffective windows with Energy Star energy efficient windows and repair the rest for maximum cost effectiveness. The savings you see on your energy bill over the years can eventually translate into the amount you paid for your energy efficient windows, meaning they might even pay for themselves over time.

Curb appeal

Increasing your home’s curb appeal is another great benefit of installing energy efficient windows. You could have a freshly painted home with a custom landscape design that looks incredible, but if you have old windows your home will show its age, and possibly even appear uncared for. Replacing old windows with energy efficient windows tells others that you care for your home. This will help if you decide to sell: in fact, energy efficient windows have a return on investment rate of almost 50%, meaning you’ll recover about half the cost of your investment when you sell. When you add that number to your current energy savings, energy efficient windows start to look like a great idea.

Lindsay Mineo writes for GSM Garage Doors, Gates & Fences with expert San Diego garage door repair services. GSM provides quality Escondido garage door repair and installation, as well as automatic gate and fence design and construction.