Giving your windows a good spring cleaning freshens up your home’s exterior and increases its curb appeal. Washing/polishing the glass helps with aesthetics, but to boost your home’s energy efficiency and improve HVAC performance, you also need to take care of window maintenance.
How Window Care Correlates to Energy Efficiency
The Department of Energy tells us that energy gains/losses through a home’s windows represent about 25 to 30 percent of the household’s yearly heating and cooling energy consumption. Cleaning and maintaining the windows can help curb this energy waste. When you improve the energy efficiency of your windows, you also reduce your HVAC system’s workload, and this helps the equipment perform better and last longer.
Effective Ways to Boost Window Efficiency
Along with tackling your usual spring cleaning, you can also take these steps to make sure your windows are energy efficient:
- Give each window a thorough inspection to locate any spots where weatherstripping is damaged or caulking is cracked or missing. Before you replace these areas to stop air leakage, be sure to carefully remove any flawed materials.
- If you have older windows that are quite leaky, it may be time to consider replacement with updated, energy efficient new ones. Custom plexiglass or acrylic inserts are a less costly alternative. These interior “storm windows” are designed to fit snugly and curtail any air leakage.
- If you’re cleaning double-hung or casement windows this spring, pay extra attention to the moving parts and tracks. It’s important to clean out all accumulated debris so the windows can close tightly and not leak air.
- Consider installing insulated window shades or curtains that you can close on hot summer days to reduce heat gain. These insulated window treatments will also help limit heat loss through the glass in the winter.
- Plan to clean all your window panes again in the fall, so that solar heat from the sun can easily get through and help warm your home on cold winter days.
To learn about other ways to improve the energy efficiency of your Lorain home, contact us today at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area