The price for kerosene and home heating oil reached record heights last March. Given the current geopolitical instability, that record could be shattered during this coming home heating season. In this part of Massachusetts, most people run their heat from October through March or April; a total of six months or more.
There is nothing the typical homeowner can do to lower the cost of home heating oil. However, what is within the homeowner’s control is how efficient the house is. Leaky windows and doors can cause a home to lose almost half of the heated air produced by the furnace or boiler. Additionally, windows and doors that let warm air out let cold air in, bringing down the temperature of your home, causing your heating system to work more. It’s a viscous, expensive cycle.
How Replacement Windows Help Keep Fuel Costs Down
The reason replacement windows have such a positive impact on home heating bills is because they reduce the amount of warmed air that is escaping to the outdoors. This is done using multiple panes of glass and insulating gasses. Additionally, the best replacement windows are custom manufactured to be an exact fit for the old window. There’s no cracks, gaps, or breaks in the seal to let cold air in. This perfect fit is essential to making your home more energy efficient.
If you have a room where it’s always cold and drafty, this room is an excellent candidate for window replacement. Many people ask about older replacement windows and how to tell if they’re still good. If your home’s windows were upgraded in the seventies or eighties, it’s important to understand that these windows are approaching fifty years old. They need to be carefully inspected for damage done by decades of extreme weather. The average lifespan of residential windows is between 15-30 years, and at fifty years of age, you’re past that point.
