Windows are one of the most important features in your home. They provide natural light and give you a view of the outside. Every now and then, however, windows must be replaced due to age, wear or changing styles.
9 Major Benefits of Replacing Your Old Windows
Are new windows a good investment? It generally depends on the age of your home and the number of years your current windows have been in place. Even if your current windows were installed recently, you might find a style more to your liking in a newer set. Before you determine if you should replace your windows, consider the benefits, like:
1. Decrease in Drafts
The most effective way to stop drafts in windows is by replacing them. If you currently have air leaking through windows, it’s likely time to replace them. Wind drafts are among the major causes of increased heating and cooling bills. When a window is leaking air, it degrades the quality of your insulation and leaves you more reliant on your HVAC system.
To determine whether wind drafts are currently an issue, run a lighter or lit incense stick left-to-right, top-to-bottom along the edges of your window panes. If the flicker or smoke blows inward, you have a draft in that part of the window.
2. Reduction in Heating Costs
Generally, heating is a very costly utility. Like most homeowners, you would probably enjoy a reduction in your monthly heating costs. Even if the savings are small, they can add up over the course of a given year, especially if a lengthy cold spell sweeps through your area. One of the most effective ways to lower your heating bills is to have new windows installed throughout your house.
Replacement windows can lower your heating costs by improving the insulation of your home. When windows are new, they have stronger frames and tighter seals. With the improved insulation, you could find yourself setting the heat at lower levels and shorter durations.
3. Improved Aesthetics
A new set of windows could improve the aesthetic charm of your overall home and each individual room. In your living room, you could boost the appeal and value of your home with a bay window in the spot that overlooks the front lawn. From the outside, this would greatly enhance the home’s façade. On the inside, the window’s outward dimensions would give you added shelf-space for candles, lights and other fixtures. If your living room is large, you could get even more additional space with a bow window.
You could also enhance the look of your front doorway with the addition of shaped windows overhead. Depending on the interior style and color scheme of your home, you could opt for windows with frames made of wood, fiberglass or vinyl. Replacement windows could also transform your kitchen, dining area and bedrooms.
4. Increase in Home Value
Once you have a new set of windows installed, you could instantly increase the curb appeal of your property. If you decide to sell the house in the next few years, the new windows could increase the home’s value on the real estate market.
When exploring homes for sale, prospective buyers tend to notice features that enhance the security, insulation and charm of a given house — all of which could be enhanced by new windows.
5. Reduced Transference of Outside Noise
The insulation factor in a new set of windows is twofold. In addition to making your interior warmer, new windows can also make your rooms quieter because there will be less noise transferring in from the outside.
As with wind, paper-thin drafts can make rooms more vulnerable to the distractions of outside noise. Once you have your old aluminum frames replaced with wood or fiberglass-framed windows, outside noise distractions could largely be eliminated. If you live in a neighborhood where shouting kids, honking horns and traffic are constant factors, new windows could give you newfound peace and quiet.
6. Smoother Operation
Newer windows are easier to operate. During the warmer months, when you need to let the air circulate, you can easily crack open a newer window and raise it to your preferred elevation. If you have a high-quality window installed in your living room, bedroom or kitchen, you are unlikely to encounter problems with the tracks, latches or locks for the first several years of use.
With older windows, you are liable to encounter problems with the tracks. On a sliding window, this could leave you unable to slide it fully open or shut. The problem could be especially dangerous with heavy hung windows that fail to hold in the open position, as these could abruptly drop and do further damage.
7. Elimination or Reduction of Maintenance
A new set of windows will not have been subject to years of wear and tear. Whereas older windows can easily jam, come ajar or fail to open or close properly, newer windows will generally function with ease for years to come. If your current windows were installed when your house was built, you might have to caulk the edges and replace the tracks just to keep the windows functional and secure. With newer windows, you could bypass that maintenance that comes with older ones.
8. Easier Cleaning
Older windows can be hard to clean, especially if they have ornate details, such as complex grilles and sculpted grids. With newer windows, the sleek frames and sealed assembly could make cleaning a much simpler task. The lack of drafts could also virtually eliminate in-blown dust and dirt particles. With newer windows, you don’t have to cope with the layers of paint or varnish that could limit your choice of cleaning formulas.
9. Greater UV Protection
On most new windows, the glass panes are covered with a transparent film that protects interiors from UV rays. As such, newer windows do a better job of preventing hot outdoor temperatures from filtering indoors. During the spring and summer months, the protective film can help keep your rooms cooler and more comfortable. The anti-UV film also protects upholstered furnishings from the fading effects of prolonged sunlight exposure.
How Do I Know If I Need New Windows?
If problems such as wind drafts and faulty functions have come to characterize the windows in various rooms throughout your house, your home is due for new windows. For homeowners in Long Island, Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, and Westchester counties, Brothers Aluminum is the leading name in window replacement services.
With 40 years of home-improvement experience, our team will install sleek new windows on your home and make them blend in with the pre-existing features of your home. Contact us today for more information on our window installation and other home improvement services.
