Control Your Summer Energy Costs Through Window Maintenance
Energy costs can rise rapidly in the summertime, especially if you live somewhere the experiences really hot or humid summers. Performing regular maintenance and care on your windows is one way to fight back against high energy costs.
#1 Change Out The Window Sash
The window sash is basically the plastic frame that goes around your window. It is the part of the frame on the side of your window that allows you to slide your window up and down.
If you have a really old window, the window sash may be broken or even loose. If the window sash is old or loose, a lot of air can get in around your window and greatly impact your energy costs. If the frame feels loose or looks worn down, you'll want to replace the window sash. Replacing the window sash can take a couple of hours on your own and require someone to help you remove and handle the glass window panes.
#2 Apply New Caulking Around Your Window
Another common reason that windows loose energy is because the caulking around the inside and the outside of the window has worn loose over time, allowing air to slip in around your window.
Check the caulking and see if it is still present or if it is loose. If it is loose, pry off the rest of the caulking. Then, purchase a caulking gun and some window caulking. Apply a nice thick line of caulking around the window where the previous caulking was located.
#3 Replace Weather Stripping
Many windows have weather stripping on them. The weather stripping is generally located inside of the frame, where the window slides up and down. The purpose of weather stripping is to make that area, where the window slides up and down, fit as tightly as possible to keep air from slipping in and out around one's window.
Applying window stripping is a really quick job that just requires you to purchase some rolls of weather stripping, measure the area, cut the weather stripping down to size and push it into place.
#4 Use Window Treatments
Finally, you can add window treatments to your windows. Putting up blinds to cover your windows and adding a layer of curtains is a great way to stop the flow of air around your windows. You can also close the blinds and curtains when your house is being hit with sunlight to keep things cool, and you can open up your blinds and curtains when your house is being hit with sunlight in the winter to help warm things up.
Fixing damaged window seals, putting new caulking around the inside and outside of your windows, switching out old weather stripping and using window treatments are four easy ways to control your summer energy costs through regular window maintenance. For more information, talk to a company like Gilkey Windows.
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