Replacement windows, often advertised as major energy-savers for a home and one of the most popular home improvements, can turn out to be a big investment with only a modest payback.
That`s the message of an expert in a recent issue of Energy, a quarterly magazine published by the Pennsylvania Energy Office.
”The only time replacement windows reduce heating bills significantly is if current windows are loose and drafty,” wrote Marcus B. Sheffer, director of the Southcentral Pennsylvania Energy Office, in Harrisburg. ”In most cases, a reduction in heating costs of up to 10 percent is expected. With the high cost of installing replacement windows,” $10 to $15 per square foot, ”a payback of five to 10 years is common.”
Sheffer said some replacement-window dealers used misleading statements to sell the windows, sometimes claiming energy savings of 50 percent.
”Replacement windows can reduce heat loss” through windows ”by 50 percent when replacing single-pane windows; however, replacement windows will not lower (total) energy costs by 50 percent,” Sheffer said.
Another misleading sales technique, Sheffer said, is an offer by some companies to ”pay the difference” if there is not a 30 percent to 40 percent reduction in fuel bills after installation of replacement windows.
”Quite often, this guarantee is only good for one year,” he said.
”Therefore, if you save 10 percent and the company reimburses the difference of 25 percent, the company has still made a hefty profit on the sale of the windows. The few hundred dollars reimbursed is only a fraction of the profit made on the sale.”
Sheffer pointed out that existing single-pane windows and effective storm windows could be just as energy-efficient as replacement windows. Homeowners who replace windows to avoid painting sills and frames should know that those areas can be covered with low-maintenance aluminum or vinyl at much less cost than replacement windows.
A Perkasie, Pa., homeowner who is having trouble with the concrete porch on his new home wants information about ”the one-year warranty” on the house ”that Pennsylvania state law requires.”
I checked this out with several experts, including a lawyer familiar with building laws and regulations, and all agreed that there was no Pennsylvania law requiring a one-year warranty on new homes.
