Replacement Windows | US Home Improvement

Local newscasts this morning featured stories of elderly residents planning now for this winter’s fuel costs — chances are fuel oil will cost at least as much as it does today, if not even more. With that in mind, many homeowners are upgrading their homes in an effort to make them more energy efficient, allowing them to save money.

Vinyl home replacement windows are a common and effective way to make your home more energy efficient. Unfortunately, unscrupulous vendors take advantage of economic conditions like those we’re currently experiencing to pressure people — especially seniors! — into buying high-cost, low-quality replacement windows.

We at US Home Windows want every customer to be not merely satisfied but thrilled with their replacement window purchases. For this to happen, you need some information. Here’s what you should expect from a replacement window specialist who has your best interests in mind:

They are willing to spend time with you

Upgrading all the windows in a home is not a quick decision! A reliable replacement window specialist will be willing to discuss the process with you until all of your questions are answered. Additionally, a reliable window specialist will not push or pressure you for a lightning fast decision!

They have questions

Just as you’ll need information from your replacement window specialist, they’re going to need information from you! Don’t be suprised if your replacement window specialist has a lot of questions, from the number of windows in your home to how you use certain rooms to the type of weather and traffic patterns your home is subject to: these questions will help your replacement window specialist make informed recommendations.

They have a great reputation

Do your homework! You want to work with a replacement window specialist who has been in your community for a long time, and has a strong reputation for quality work and top notch customer service!

Home replacement windows offer superlative energy efficiency. Vinyl home replacement windows, fiberglass home replacement windows, and wood home replacement windows can all contribute to a more comfortable living environment. But can replacement windows save seniors money?

The answer may be yes. Senior citizens who live in older homes, with leaky, inefficient windows may be considering home replacement windows yet find themselves wary of making a commitment due to the relatively high price of replacement windows. Is it a wise decision for a senior citizen to replace their windows?

Consider the following:

Fuel Costs are Rising

When these words were being written, oil was hovering at over $90 a barrel. It hit the hundred dollar point earlier this month, and it’s a very real possibility that prices will rise to that point again. This has a huge and immediate impact on fuel oil prices — while many seniors live on fixed incomes. There’s simply no room in the budget for fuel prices that keep going up, up and up. This forces many seniors to choose between heat and food, heat and medicine, or heat and other life necessities.

Replacement Windows Help Conserve Heat

Energy experts tell us that as much as 40% of a home’s heating energy can escape through leaky windows and doors. That means that nearly half of the heat the furnace creates is wasted! The furnace has to run more often to make up for the loss, consuming more and more valuable fuel.

Replacement windows — vinyl, fiberglass or wood — help retain warmth indoors. Utilizing advances in window technology like triple pane glass, low E coatings, and insulating gas pockets, replacement windows can keep the indoors warm — and the furnace running far less often!

Replacement Window Health Benefits

Seniors often have a hard time maintaining their internal body temperature. This situation can worsen — dramatically, tragically so — with prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. Chilly breezes and drafts do nothing to help the situation. Replacement windows minimize air penetration, reducing the amount of cold drafts. The energy efficiency of home replacement windows allow seniors to stay in a warmer environment, making maintaining an acceptable internal body temperature easier.

It’s Not All Or Nothing

Although many homeowners opt to replace all of the windows in their home at once, to minimize the amount of time it takes to do the job, there’s no law that says it has to be done that way. Many times seniors don’t use all of their house, closing off seldom used rooms. There’s no reason to replace the windows in those rooms. Instead, focus on replacing the windows in the rooms you actually use: perhaps the bedroom, living room, kitchen and bath. This can be a substantial savings.

Discounts are Available

Finally, many manufacturers and replacement window specialists offer substantial discounts to senior citizens. These discounts may apply to the replacement window, as well as the cost of the labor to install the replacement window. Talk with replacement window specialists in your region to discover what your options are. When you factor in the discounts and the savings on your energy bill, replacement windows may be an affordable option!

Medicare reform, vacation homes, and pictures of the grandchildren: these seem to be the topics of most interest to seniors. However, there are certain topics that are a little closer to home — namely, how comfortable are seniors in their own homes? Replacement windows can play a role in that comfort level.

Here are the top five reasons home replacement windows could be important to senior citizens:

Savings on Home Heating & Cooling Bills

If you’re a fixed income, you know that every dollar counts. One more dollar spent on heating your home means one less dollar to spend on food, medicine — or on a lighter note, toys for the grandkids.

Installing home replacement windows helps retain energy: warmed air stays inside in the winter, while frigid winds remain outside. The situation reverses in the summer: air conditioned, chilled air — critical during blazing hot summer days where overheating poses a very real health risk to seniors — stays indoors where it’s needed.

Reduce Cold Drafts

Double and triple pane glass home replacement windows help reduce air infiltration. Couple this with vastly improved frame technology, insulating gas pockets, and other advances in window technology, and cold drafts are minimized or eliminated.

This increases the comfort of the home. Seniors have a particularly difficult time maintaining their body temperature. Continually exposure to chilly drafts and cold outdoor air can make the situation worse. Home replacement windows, by reducing air penetration, can play a pivotal role in keeping seniors warm.

Easy to Open

Some windows are flat out difficult to open, no matter how old you are! Poor construction, warped or damaged frames, and the weight of the windows themselves mean that some windows stay closed far more than they get opened.

Modern home replacement windows are easy to open. Specially designed hardware means that casement windows, awning windows, and even double hung windows stay open exactly to the degree you’d like them open. No worries about windows slamming shut or being impossible to open.

Windows that open and close are a basic safety issue. You never know when a fire or other emergency will require you to leave your home by alternate means. Should the windows be difficult or impossible to open, you may be trapped with no route out — terrifying at any age.

Easy Maintenance

Home replacement windows, whether they’re vinyl home replacement windows, fiberglass home replacement windows, or wood replacement windows, are all easier to maintain than the single pane windows of yesteryear. Vinyl home replacement windows are particularly easy to maintain: vinyl replacement window frames never need painting.

Tilt in designs make window washing a snap. Cleaning windows can be accomplished from inside the home: far safer and easier than teetering on a rickety ladder, especially if the windows are on the second or third floor.

Additionally, some replacement windows feature blinds encased between dual panes of glass — another cumbersome housekeeping task eliminated. Imagine never having to dust the blinds again! This is great for the senior who takes pride in their home’s appearance yet doesn’t have the energy to keep up all of the housekeeping they used to do.

Environmentally Friendly

Many, many seniors are concerned about the future of the planet we call home. Home replacement windows help conserve energy, reducing the use of fossil fuels. This has an obvious positive benefit for the environment, a big plus for those seniors concerned with reducing their carbon footprint.