That’s a pity, because, dollar for dollar, high quality replacement windows are among the best investments you can make in your home.  By retaining warmed air in the winter and cool air in the summer, replacement windows can help lower your energy costs tremendously.  They add to the resale value of your home, and are often more attractive than the original windows (and more often are much more attractive than older, ugly aluminum replacement windows from back in the day!)

The trick is to find a reputable replacement window manufacturer, and work with a reputable replacement window specialist.  How do you find these people?  There are a couple of ways.  First, ask your family and friends about who did thier windows.  (This is often a good source of horror stories as well!  That way you’ll know who to avoid.)  Double check their recommendation with the Better Business Bureau. You don’t want a record of complaints and dissatisfied customers!  Finally, interview your potential replacement window specialist.  Ask for references.  A reputable company will be able to connect you with satisfied customers.  Do your research, and you’re much more likely to enjoy your replacement windows!

There are homeowners who enjoy spending their free time and weekends tinkering around the house.  To them, the thought of carefully sanding down the exterior window sill, and then even more carefully repainting the wood — all while balanced on a ladder some twenty feet above the ground — sounds like a lot of fun!

Other homeowners have a different idea of fun. They want to use their spare time hanging out with the family, seeing their friends, doing good work in the community or just kicking back.  For them, the easy maintenance routine of vinyl replacement windows may be ideal!  There’s no scraping or sanding, never any painting.  Vinyl  replacement windows, particularly those from Alside, are the same color throughout — a nick, ding, or random bit of weather damage will not show. This eliminates the need to do inconvient, expensive repairs.

Finally, keeping windows clean is a big part of replacement window maintenance.  Vinyl replacement windows that feature tilt-in cleaning mean you never have to get out the ladder again. You can keep your windows sparkling clean while standing safely on the floor!

However, not all replacement windows need the same amount of care.  Homeowners who opt for traditional wood windows soon find themselves needing to paint frames and sills. Random scratches and dings look terrible until they’re addressed — and addressing that damage can be problematic if the window is on the second or third floor!

A large question to consider is who will be doing the upkeep and maintenance on your replacement windows.  For most people, this is a job they do themselves.  If you’re not physically fit, have impaired balance, or limited mobility the thought of climbing up on a ladder to clean or paint windows is not an appealing one.

Vinyl replacement windows offer the ultimate in easy maintenance.  Most high quality vinyl replacement windows are designed to tilt in for easy cleaning.  This is a must-have feature for the aging homeowner who plans to stay in their residence: while it may not seem like a big deal to clean the windows when you’re forty, at sixty-five or seventy, the task becomes much more involved.

Cleaning vinyl replacement windows requires nothing more than your favorite glass cleaner.  The sash, sill and frame can easily be wiped down with warm water. A mild detergent can be used if your windows have been marred with stubborn sticky materials, such as bird droppings, sap and pollen from surrounding trees, or the results of pollution.

Additionally, the color on vinyl replacement windows goes all the way through.  That means that if a stray branch or piece of wind-blown debris scratches or dings your window frame, it is not immediately visible.  The wound doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb for all the world to see.  You don’t have to worry about the flaw being visible to the neighbors or passers by.  The same is not true for wood replacement windows: you’d find yourself out there with a paintbrush, either trying to match the existing finish and cover the ding (good luck!) or repainting the entire frame.

Hands down, vinyl replacement windows offer the easiest maintenance. This makes them appealing to homeowners who plan to be in their homes for the long haul, who like to eliminate unneccessary chores and who like to make cleaning quick and easy!

DuBois’ daughter, Sophia, is an ardent environmentalist.  “It just made me nuts to see how much energy was being wasted in Mom’s house.  Did you know how much heat just escapes through older windows? Practically half!  And that means she’s got to run the furnace more…and what kind of impact does all that lost heat have on the environment? When you’re talking about global warming and losing ozone, we just can’t afford to ignore that!”

Together, Sophia and Marlene selected 12 replacement windows. “We went with Alside Excalibur Vinyl replacement windows,” Marlene said, “because they offered the  highest quality for the price, and they require very little maintenance.”

“Mom’s getting too old to be climbing a ladder and washing windows,”  Sophia added. “These windows tilt in, so she can clean them from inside the house.  And the vinyl frames don’t fade, so we don’t have to worry about painting them ever.”

Marlene, like many homeowners, is growing older every year.  Aging homeowners share a number of concerns which make the savings and energy efficiency offered by replacement windows increasingly attractive.

First, many older homeowners are extremely concerned about their financial situation. The recent economic meltdown has played havoc in retirement funds: there are fewer dollars available for retirement, and they have to go further than ever before.  Spending money on home heating is a necessity — but spending money on home heating to have that warmed air escape through leaky, inefficient windows is foolishness at best.  Consider the $1,000 Marlene saved.  What would an extra $1,000 buy? Those funds could be used for any number of things: food, medicine, traveling to see grandchildren, and more…

Second, there’s the safety issue.  There comes a certain point where climbing up rickety ladders to scrub windows isn’t a viable decision. Tilt-in cleaning is safer.  Additionally, fully functional windows — such as those offered by Alside — allow the homeowner rapid, easy egress from the home in case of fire or other emergency.

 This morning, we stumbled across a blog article about replacement windows as a gift to the homeowner.  It was a great article, but it missed a great point: Vinyl replacement windows can be a fantastic gift to give someone you love.  Vinyl replacement windows are particularly valuable to our older loved ones — and when times are tight, you want to make sure that every gift you give truly improves the recipients’ lives.  This makes vinyl replacement windows the ideal gift! 

If you’re among that select group of people who have parents that are getting older, pay attention!  Finding gifts for Mom and Dad is tricky most of the time anyway.  This year, you may want to consider giving them vinyl replacement windows as a gift — a gift for them and a gift for you!

Your parents will appreciate the clean look of home replacement windows — particularly if they haven’t been able to do an upgrade in a while. The easy tilt-in feature makes cleaning a snap — and it means you don’t have to worry about Mom or Dad standing on a ladder, washing windows!  Same thing for maintenance: vinyl home replacement windows never need painting, so Dad doesn’t have to drag out the paint and brushes every spring.  That’s one less job he has to do — and more time he can spend enjoying himself.

 Finally, giving your parents vinyl replacement windows, such as the Alside Excalibur line, can be a financial gift.  The energy efficiency vinyl replacement windows offer, including the ability to keep warmed air in and cool air out, help control heating costs.  Additionally, because your parents will not be exposed to chilly breezes and drafts once vinyl replacement windows are installed, they’ll be healthier — which saves money and more importantly, gives  you more time to enjoy with them.  It’s a gift for everyone!

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!

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!

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.