Increasing the energy efficiency of your home, especially with major improvements like heating, cooling, windows, and doors, can be the start of a lifetime of savings. This is because installing eco-friendly windows in your home reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional single-pane windows are notorious for letting precious heat or cooling escape from your home.
All of these small actions have a negative impact on your ecological footprint, not to mention your utility bills. Another crucial benefit eco-friendly windows provide is increased comfort. When your windows insulate your home more efficiently, you reap the cozy rewards. Even better, an eco-friendly window installed properly will greatly reduce the amount of leakage and drafting you experience in your home.
In short, choosing eco-friendly windows for your home is a win-win-win. The Difference Between Eco-Friendly and Energy Efficient During the search for eco-friendly windows, many homeowners will see the terms eco-friendly and energy efficient used interchangeably, However, an eco-friendly window is more than just energy efficient. At Pella, we believe that eco-friendly windows are about more than just the product.
We have always been dedicated to running our business sustainably. We practice responsible forest management, maximize our recycling opportunities, and take a comprehensive approach to incorporating sustainability in all of our products and services.
Our commitment to sustainable business practices offers us a unique perspective when it comes to understanding how to apply these practices in your home. Knowing who is helping you on your eco-friendly window journey is just the first step. In this case, homeowners may need to add more insulation to the attic.
If homeowners are unsure why a room is feeling colder during the winter, they may need to do a home energy audit. Homeowners can download HomeSelfe to help them find energy drains in every room in their home. The app will identify any energy drains and give homeowners more tips on how to cut costs.
If the windows are a problem, HomeSelfe will find out. The app also can help homeowners find any rebates that could help them offset the costs of those new windows! Login Support About Us. Share this post. Brought to you by: Jane Smith. Altogether, this gives them poor insulating properties. If you want to upgrade your sash windows, there are a number of alternatives to conventional double-glazing. If you want to keep the design and look of the sash windows, there are units available that are in keeping with the original design but that are sealed to prevent draughts and incorporate double glazing to reduce heat loss.
The frames may be wood to match the original as closely as possible, or made from other materials such as uPVC, but designed to resemble the wooden original. Replacing sash windows can be expensive, so good-quality secondary glazing may be worth considering. Visit our draught-proofing pages for guidance. Fitting a secondary pane of glass or other transparent material inside the existing window reveal is known as secondary glazing.
Curtains lined with a layer of heavy material can reduce heat loss from a room through the window at night and cut draughts. Hollow blinds, fitted into place with a sealed frame, and sealed shutters will also help cut draughts and keep your heat in for longer. Like any other part of the home, doors can be insulated and draught-proofed to prevent heat escaping. Building regulations state that installing a new door requires approval from the relevant buildings control body, and new external doors now generally contain integrated insulation to reduce heat loss and comply with regulations.
A properly fitted new external door should include an effective draught-proofing system. Existing doors can be improved by fitting draught-proofing strips around the seals and the letterbox. Even the best quality glazing loses heat more quickly than an uninsulated cavity wall.
Provided they are never heated, and the doors between the conservatory and the heated house are kept shut in cold weather, they can actually reduce heat loss by acting as an extra insulating layer outside your house. You can make the most of this by installing a sealed sliding door, and sealed blinds or heavy, lined curtains, to separate the conservatory more effectively from the rest of your house.
If you heat your conservatory, any insulating benefit will disappear along with the heat that escapes into the outside air. Double glazing, blinds and shutters can all reduce the amount of heat wasted, but it is not possible to bring a conservatory up to the thermal standard of even an averagely insulated room.
Replacement windows will be more airtight than your original frames, so condensation may build up in your house due to the reduced ventilation. If your house does not have much background ventilation, look for replacement windows with trickle vents incorporated into the frame to let in a controlled amount of ventilation.
If you start to see condensation building up around your windows, there may be a damp problem in your home. Damp can occur when there is:. If you are getting condensation on the outside of your windows, this is not a problem. A build-up of moisture in the home can cause a range of problems and can potentially damage the fabric of the building….
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