For all the charm an old house brings, it also brings with it high energy bills unless you’ve invested in energy efficient improvements. If you have the home’s original windows, you may want to turn to window insulation to prevent some of the thermal losses that are inherent in aging and drafty windows.
Old homes tend to have single-pane windows that are inherently inefficient and even more so if they have aluminum frames. Besides the fact that glass has no insulating value and aluminum conducts heat quickly, the old windows have plenty of air leaks that make it more expensive to heat and cool your home.
Solutions for Inefficient Windows
When Energy Star window replacements aren’t in the budget, consider making these improvements to cut the air and thermal losses from old windows.
- Sealing the window frame air leaks. You can use acrylic caulk to seal the cracks in the window frames. Walk around the exterior of your home and look for cracks between the frames and the exterior siding.
- Sealing loose glass panes. Over time, the glass panes inside the window frames may loosen. Look for drafts on a windy day by moving a lighted stick of incense around the edges of the glass to find places where the glass is loose. You can seal the glass with silicone caulk or flexible rope caulk. Silicone is permanent, while the rope caulk is easy to remove.
- Sealing with weatherstripping. Stuff foam weatherstripping into the drafty parts of the window.
- Adding window insulation. Bubble wrap with the one-inch bubbles deters heat loss through window glass. Simply cut to fit, spray the glass with water and put the bubble wrap on the window. You can also find window kits online and at home centers that use clear plastic, tape and a hair dryer to add an insulating layer to all your windows.
Adding window insulation and stopping their air leaks will make your home more energy efficient and cut your energy bills. To learn more, contact CCAC, providing HVAC services for Coastal Bend homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about your HVAC system, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.
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