Old Windows: Repair or Replace
Although conventional wisdom (or at least a window salesman) would say that replacing will always save you money, that isn't necessarily true, and depends on a lot of factors, including
Read on for the actual results I've gotten from both new windows and rebuilt origin
My suburban Minneapolis story and a half, like many thousands of others that popped up during the post WWII baby boom was built with the traditional double-hung, single pane windows and removable wood-framed screens and storms, each one custom fit and labeled in neat black sharpie for its parent window, NE Bedroom, for example, or Kitchen Sink.
Although it is well documented that low-e glass, double pane windows allow less heat to escape your home and don't require the screens and storms to be swapped every spring and fall, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the best energy investment you can make.
The highest efficiency gains claim I've heard from the half dozen window salesmen who stop by my house every spring is 50%.
I'm a little doubtful of that claim, but even if it proved to be true, that means I would save about $300 annually in natural gas, and pay off a $10,000 full house window upgrade in 33 years. Although the value it would add to my home would offset that cost slightly, I suspect other improvements (like a forced air/central air furnace) would add even more value.
My two upstairs windows were dry-rotted and missing the original storms, so I deemed them too far gone and installed new windows myself, a process that took the better part of three weekends to complete and cost a little over $1000 total.
The rest of my windows were salvageable, but in need of some repairs. I've been rehabbing one or two per year, by doing the following work. The total cost and time investment is on average less than $50 and 8 to 16 hours per window.
Last winter I had the opportunity to use an infrared camera to assess just how well my repairs were working. On a cold night (~ thirty below) I got the following readings on the window pane glass (the indoor temperature was 60F to 65F):
Below is a summary of the work I've done.
http://web.ornl.gov/sci/buildings/2012/2007%20B10%20papers/022_Drumheller.pdf
- the condition of your windows,
- the cost and type of fuel available in your area,
- and not least your climate.
Read on for the actual results I've gotten from both new windows and rebuilt origin
My suburban Minneapolis story and a half, like many thousands of others that popped up during the post WWII baby boom was built with the traditional double-hung, single pane windows and removable wood-framed screens and storms, each one custom fit and labeled in neat black sharpie for its parent window, NE Bedroom, for example, or Kitchen Sink.
Although it is well documented that low-e glass, double pane windows allow less heat to escape your home and don't require the screens and storms to be swapped every spring and fall, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the best energy investment you can make.
The highest efficiency gains claim I've heard from the half dozen window salesmen who stop by my house every spring is 50%.
I'm a little doubtful of that claim, but even if it proved to be true, that means I would save about $300 annually in natural gas, and pay off a $10,000 full house window upgrade in 33 years. Although the value it would add to my home would offset that cost slightly, I suspect other improvements (like a forced air/central air furnace) would add even more value.
My two upstairs windows were dry-rotted and missing the original storms, so I deemed them too far gone and installed new windows myself, a process that took the better part of three weekends to complete and cost a little over $1000 total.
The rest of my windows were salvageable, but in need of some repairs. I've been rehabbing one or two per year, by doing the following work. The total cost and time investment is on average less than $50 and 8 to 16 hours per window.
Last winter I had the opportunity to use an infrared camera to assess just how well my repairs were working. On a cold night (~ thirty below) I got the following readings on the window pane glass (the indoor temperature was 60F to 65F):
- New Pella Energystar windows: 40 degrees F
- Wooden single pane window with storm, after weather stripping/repairs: 35 degrees F
- Wooden single pane window with storm, no repairs done: 25 degrees F
Notice that weatherstripping the storm and window itself not only stopped the drafts, it raised the glass temperature enough to keep the condensation from frosting (all my windows, including the new ones, still get some condensation when its that cold).
- Replace any broken panes and re-glaze (about $10 and 2hrs per window pane).
- Weather strip along the windows sills and between the top and bottom panels (about $15 and 2hrs for all ten of my windows)
- Scrape the peeling paint and repainting the window frames (cost of paint plus 2 to 8 hours per window, depending on condition)
- Rehabbing the screens by replacing the old rusted and torn metal screens with new fiberglass screen and repainting the wooden frames ($10 and an hour per screen)
- Repainting the storm windows frames (cost of paint and 1/2 hour per frame)
As I have time I'll try to post some additional tips and techniques I found helpful for each of the specific jobs.
References:http://web.ornl.gov/sci/buildings/2012/2007%20B10%20papers/022_Drumheller.pdf
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