How-To : Home Improvement

Does your utility bill leave you in tears? Does your family walk around wearing all their clothes so you can avoid cranking up the heater and wiping out your bank account? Those beautiful windows are killing you.

Hate Paying Taxes?

Do you hate paying taxes? Everyone does. At least you only have to do it once a year. If you don’t take steps to improve your energy use, however, you are paying the utility company an energy waster tax every month and every year. I bet you never thought of it that way before. Fortunately, you don’t need an accountant to eliminate this tax.

To terminate your energy waster tax, you need to understand the areas where you are probably wasting energy. Here is the biggest offender.

Windows are necessary items in a home. Can you imagine a home without them? Of course not. Still, that beautiful view to the world outside comes with a heavy price. Windows are the single biggest area where heating or cooling efforts are wasted. Because windows open and close, they almost always develop leaks where your hard earned money escapes in the form of heat transfer. If you do nothing else after reading this article, take a close look at your windows. Making them air tight could save you as much as forty percent on your utility bill.

Even if your windows are not leaking, you still have a problem. As people living in cold climates can attest, most installed window are horrific burdens on heating efforts. These year around windows tend to be thin and are not designed for specific conditions. Put in simple terms, heat moves through them like beads at Mardi Gras. If you don’t believe me, go stand next to one of your windows on a winter day. It gets a bit chilly, eh?

To overcome your inferior window problem, you have two options. The first is to install windows designed to hold in hot air during winter. This will save you a ton of money, but you have to change them twice a year, installation and removal. If your lazy like me, a second option is to go with Energy Star windows.

Energy Star is a government program designed to encourage manufacturers to build better stuff for your home. If a product has an energy star sticker, it means it is going to save you cash on your utility bill. Since windows are problematic, the government has focused on them and you can now buy Energy Star windows at all home improvement stores. Note that I didn’t name an improvement store, but am willing to amend this article for a significant sponsorship fee!

While I wait for Home Depot or Lowes to call, go take a look at your windows. If you concentrate really hard, you can see dollar bills floating through them.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on auditing your home and solar power.

You can hardly have missed the devastating hurricanes that have been experienced in the last few years. It is a fact that certain locations are more prone to hurricane activity than others and that the force of these seems to be on the increase. If you own property in one of these areas, it is crucial that you take steps to protect your home buildings from bad weather, which can include installing adequate hurricane shutters and storm windows.

Fitting hurricane shutters yourself is a relatively simple task, but you should find out a little about them before you make a purchase. The main purpose of storm shutters is for protection against airborne debris that can smash through your windows or doors during a strong storm.

Your doors and windows are particularly susceptible to damage during a hurricane as they are unlikely to have been manufactured to withstand forceful blasts of wind. They may be damaged purely by the wind, or possibly by a piece of brick, metal or wood that is picked up by the hurricane and flung at the property.

Once the wind enters your home, either by breaking glass or blowing a door in, the air pressure in your home begins to increase. This will continue to worsen as long as the storm continues. The combination of the air pressure within the building, and outside wind rushing over the roof of the house can cause a vacuum effect. In severe condition this can result in your roof being ripped from the building. As well as the obvious expense and inconvenience of replacing your roof, you may experience structural problems and significant damage to the fixtures and fittings in your home.

I’m sure having read that many of you will begin an immediate hunt for storm shutters. Make sure your home is protected by high quality, robust shutters and you dramatically decrease the risk of hurricane damage. If the wind cannot penetrate your home during such a storm, the only damage will be to the exterior of the property and should hopefully be less severe. Hurricane shutters may not be the most attractive addition to your home but they will be worth the investment if your house is located in a hurricane prone area. Of course, as well as the structure of your property, they will provide some protection to your family, safely tucked away inside during the storm.

Whenever I write an article, it’s usually tailored to the do-it-yourself homeowner to help them save some money on the high cost of labor these days. This article is for the “not so handy” homeowner who wants to have new vinyl windows installed in their home. So, where do you begin? Well, the first step is to get estimates. You should always get 3 estimates. Keep in mind that the price you are quoted doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the product. For example, I used to wear the hat of Owner, Salesman, and Installer. So, when I would give an estimate, my only markup would be to pay my salary. On the other extreme, some companies have an inside sales staff who do telemarketing as well as mail solicitation. These people set up in-home estimates. Then, there is an outside sales staff who visit the customer for an in-home estimate. If the customer signs a contract, there is another employee who measures your windows. Then, the installation crew comes out and actually installs your windows. In many cases, you never even see or talk to the owner. Now, imagine if this company, let’s call them shears, was selling the exact same window that I was selling. After you got both estimates, you might be inclined to think that my product must be inferior if I’m able to sell it so much cheaper. The reality is, it’s cheaper because I pay two salaries; my salary and my other installer’s salary. The other owner has to pay his own salary plus Inside sales, outside sales, field measurer, and installation crew.

So, when you get each estimate, these are the important things to know about that particular brand: What kind of warranty do they offer? Any reputable vinyl window manufacturer should offer a lifetime warranty because any quality vinyl window and door really is made to last a lifetime. Ask how long the MANUFACTURER has been making vinyl windows. A lifetime warranty is meaningless if the manufacturer goes out of business. Once you’re confident that the manufacturer is well established, find out how long the installer has been replacing windows. Make sure they are licensed and insured. Being licensed and insured doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good, but it does give them accountability. I knew an unlicensed window installer who was as good as any licensed installer, but if he were to mess up a job, the customer had no recourse against him.

Once you are satisfied with the price, manufacturer, and installer, you can determine the level of quality of the actual product. You can get all hung up on specs such as U-Value, R-Value, Air infiltration, etc. But i believe you can actually get more confused if you start trying to compare all of those numbers. Just ask if the product is an energy star rated window. If the answer is yes, then you know the specs meet the highest government standards. You can confirm this by going to the Energy star website.If the manufacturer is listed on the energy star site, you can be sure that the U-Value, R-Value, SHGC, and Air infiltration tests have met the requirements. So, now you can concentrate on some of the functional parts of your window. If you are in the market for a single hung or double hung window, ask about the mechanism that is used to hold up your window sashes. If they still use the old spring and string method (sometimes referred to as block and tackle), or the spiral metal balances, you are not getting a high quality window. The constant force balance system is more technologically advanced. It uses a titanium coil that is designed to last longer than you or I. Also, a good quality hung window will have sashes that can tilt in so you can clean the glass from inside the home. This is a nice feature to have, especially if your windows are on the second floor. Just these two items can tell you a lot about the quality of the window. On horizontal sliders, look at the weep holes located on the lower fron of the window. There will be one on each end. These holes are there to drain out any water that might get inside. On many windows, the weep hole is just a punched hole that leads to the inside track. Unfortunately, with this type of situation, a strong wind can blow cold air and dirt through those holes, right into the home. A better quality window will have a one-way trap door on the weep holes. The door stays closed against wind and dust, but if any water gets into the inside track, the door will open to allow the water to escape. Also, check the frame corners. A quality window has welded corners. The vinyl corners are welded through a heat and cool process. A lesser grade window will use screws to hold the corners together. When you make your appointment for the estimate, be sure to request a sample of the window be brought to your home so you can visually check these things.

A salesman is taught to focus on their product’s strong points and avoid the weak points, so it’s up to you to stay focused yourself, and don’t allow yourself to be distracted. “How long has the manufacturer been in business?” “What is their warranty?” “Are the windows Energy Star rated?” “Are the installers licensed and insured?” “What mechanism holds up the sashes on the hung windows?” “Do they tilt in?” “Are the frames welded or screwed together?” “Do the horizontal sliders have weep hole covers?” If you get satisfactory answers to these questions, you are on your way to a positive vinyl window experience.

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978.
To learn more, visit How To Install Windows