We don’t want to freak you out, but time is running out, right now, as you’re reading this blog. As of this writing, there are 26 days before the end of the year, and if you’re going to qualify for the tax break that comes with installing replacement windows, you need to act now!
Energy Star Windows are a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Vinyl home replacement windows, fiberglass home replacement windows and wood home replacement windows all offer superlative levels of improvement over single pane windows and original construction windows. This means that the home owner can save energy, keeping warm air in and cold air out.
Replacement doors are also a great way to save energy. French doors, patio doors, and sliding glass doors can all be replaced with more energy efficient replacement models.
Experts estimate that as much as 40% of a home’s energy can be lost through leaky, inefficient windows. Imagine you had a dollar. Would you only want to be able to spend 60 cents of that dollar? While more than a third was inaccessible to you — and not benefiting anyone else, either? That’s exactly what you’re doing by having leaky, inefficient windows in your home: sending 40% of your heating bill willy nilly into the wild, where it does no one any good.
If you replace the older, inefficient windows in your home with vinyl replacement windows featuring triple pane glass, insulating gas pockets, and low E coatings, you’ll realize many benefits. The first of the benefits replacement windows offer is enhanced comfort: minimizing or eliminating cold drafts makes for a nicer living environment for everyone, particularly children and the elderly.
The next benefit replacement windows offer — and this is also true for fiberglass replacement windows and wood replacement windows, as well as vinyl replacement windows — is the substantial savings homeowners will enjoy on their heating and cooling bills. When warmed air is retained inside during the winter, rather than leaking outdoors, the homeowner is more comfortable. There’s no need to continually turn up the thermostat or to have the heating system run and run and run, consuming ever increasing amounts of expensive home heating oil.
Finally, replacement windows enhance the beauty of the home. Available in a wide array of styles and finishes, vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, and wood replacement windows all offer homeowners the opportunity to dramatically change the appearance of their home. Often, older style replacement windows were not of particularly high quality: flimsy aluminum frames, shoddy construction, and low quality hardware did not add to a home’s attractiveness. Replacing these windows with a high quality home replacement window is an easy way to make your home look better.
These are all clear benefits. Coupled with the tax credits available to homeowners who install Energy Star rated windows in their home, there’s really no reason to hold off on making this upgrade. Act now to get your home replacement windows installed, and enjoy a tax credit!