Windows and Doors in your residence are the fine line between Rehabilitation and New Build. To use Professional Speak, your house consists of an interior and an exterior envelop with insulation inbetween even if that insulation is only air. The whole goal of energy rehabs is to dramatically tighten both the interior and the exterior of the house and then increase the insulation where possible. This is a separate issue in a way from the energy consumption in the house itself. So when you get to the parts that move…eg windows and doors that is where the expense can climb rapidly. If you are a home owner, new windows and doors make sense BUT once you open the cavities shouldn’t you check the insulation and what about upgrading the wiring? Why not tear the whole thing down and start again? HMMMM
So if you are interested in new here are all the usual suspects:
http://installation.homedepot.com/windows/google/index.html?cm_mmc=SEM|RPM|HS_Windows|GGL_8152
http://www.andersenwindows.com/
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For a lot cheaper you can get low e-films that will keep the heat in during the winter and out during the summer. You have to decide how far you go.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/low-e-window-film.html
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Green Your Home for Winter: Apply Low-E Window Film
Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA
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- By Jasmin Malik Chua
Jersey City, NJ, USA | Sun Mar 23, 2008 01:21 PM ET
Unknown.
READ MORE ABOUT:
Do It Yourself | Energy Efficiency | Green Home | Green Your Home For Winter | Heating | Penny Pinching | Plastic | Windows
If you haven’t socked away enough money for new, energy-efficient windows-or you’re a renter who doesn’t have the latitude to make major home improvements-consider applying one of several types of window film to your panes for instant energy savings.
A plastic film with low-emissivity (low-E) coating, which can reduce heat loss through old windows by 30 percent to 50 percent, provides a thin metallic coat the blocks off heat and ultraviolet rays. Apply the low-E film to the inside pane of your window to trap heat indoors in the winter. When the mercury begins to rise, flip the film over to the outside pane to keep the sun’s heat out of your domicile. Plus, according to Lowe’s, insulating window films will pay for themselves in less than a year in reduced utility bills.Do-it-yourself window film is available in rolls or in precut kits, but you might want to consult the professionals on very large windows. Here are some companies that manufacture energy-saving window films:
1. Bekaert
2. CP Films
4. Madico
[Via ::The Daily Green]
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate
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My brother tried it in Las Vegas and they dropped the temperature a lot. To summarize we have covered windows and door from shutters, to new windows and doors to films and sprays for windows and doors. The final step tomorrow is to deal with awnings. Isn’t the green economy fun!
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