Is Your A/C Working Overtime?

You want your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, right? Is that so hard to ask? With these extremely hot, record temperatures this year our energy use will be extremely high as well. One of the biggest contributors to poor energy efficiency is leaky windows.

Windows show many signs of wear and tear that can help you decide if you’re in need of window installation or repair. Those signs are:

• Moisture on window panes (wintertime sign)

• Chipped/faded window exteriors

• Difficulty opening/closing windows

• Signs of soft, spongy wood

If you have wood windows it is very important to perform annual maintenance to keep them operating and sealing properly. They deteriorate quickly if not maintained well. Windows are very expensive to replace so keeping up on the maintenance will save your pocketbook over the life of your mortgage.

Cool air escaping through worn-out , missing or mal-aligned weather-stripping is possibly a potential source of a constantly-running A/C unit. Keep your energy bill lower by keeping up on the maintenance and upkeep. Weather-stripping is relatively inexpensive compared to the added monthly cost of cooling the outdoors through your windows.

If you have to replace your old worn-out windows remember cheaper is only cheaper up-front. The better quality windows will give you added energy savings over time which will be the best cost-effective option throughout the years. Replacing worn-out windows have shown to save anywhere from 7 to 15% on your energy bills. That’s both heating and cooling savings.  They may pay for themselves in energy savings over the years and will certainly make your home more comfortable while residing there.

Remember spend hundreds now in maintenance or thousands later in repairs.