Reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows, and have a more comfortable house as well as lower utility bills. Sounds good - now you have to asses the need, count the cost, and decide which method will fit best with your house, your level of skill, and your budget.
Sash windows, usually made of wood, are the kind found in older homes, and in many newer ones, too, since this style appeals to many homeowners. There is usually a top section and a lower one, either equal in size or with a stylish difference. The lower sash, or both, can be raised and lowered to allow the breeze to blow in.
As the house ages, its windows may lose both their inner and outer seals, the panes may become loose, and the sashes rattle in their frames. They may become hard to raise and lower because of layers of old paint, and may have rotten cords and latches. As people struggle to make the windows work, the frames get looser, the panes lose their putty, and more air leaks in around the window than through it.
Replacing the windows in a house is an expensive proposition, and new windows may not match the period of an older house. For either reasons, you may want to fix your existing windows. Your options will be to effect temporary blocking systems, such as weatherstripping, or to repair the windows and the fabric of the house so the whole is as good as new.
Draughts may be blocked with anything that will stop the flow of air. This can include heavy curtains, which act as a layer of insulation and can block the sun's heat as well as winter cold. Strips of adhesive-backed felt or foam, or cords made of clay-like putty, can be pressed against the cracks and spaces around windows, and new putty can stop leaks around the individual panes.
Other quick fixes can include an insert, which is just a pane of glass or plastic that fits inside the entire window, creating one more layer of air for insulation, and blocking the movement of air through the loose panes of the outer window. There are plastic sheets, applied to the inside window frame with heat, that seal the window in the same way. Even heavy drapes can block cold air from entering a room through the window.
A better way is to take the time and trouble to dismantle the window, remove the outer trim and repair or replace the caulk that fills the gap between the frame and the wall. The inner trim can be removed as well, to weatherstrip around the frame on the inside without leaving the stripping material in plain sight. Old putty should be removed from each pane and new putty applied, and even the pulleys, sash cords, and beads can be replaced. A good thing to add in this complete renovation is hidden, stiff brush strips that allow the window to slide open and shut but make a tight seal against the weather.
Reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows, either by do it yourself stop gaps, or your own extensive repair and replacement of caulking, putty, and parts. You may choose to call a professional draught proofing company to do this complicated job for you.
Sash windows, usually made of wood, are the kind found in older homes, and in many newer ones, too, since this style appeals to many homeowners. There is usually a top section and a lower one, either equal in size or with a stylish difference. The lower sash, or both, can be raised and lowered to allow the breeze to blow in.
As the house ages, its windows may lose both their inner and outer seals, the panes may become loose, and the sashes rattle in their frames. They may become hard to raise and lower because of layers of old paint, and may have rotten cords and latches. As people struggle to make the windows work, the frames get looser, the panes lose their putty, and more air leaks in around the window than through it.
Replacing the windows in a house is an expensive proposition, and new windows may not match the period of an older house. For either reasons, you may want to fix your existing windows. Your options will be to effect temporary blocking systems, such as weatherstripping, or to repair the windows and the fabric of the house so the whole is as good as new.
Draughts may be blocked with anything that will stop the flow of air. This can include heavy curtains, which act as a layer of insulation and can block the sun's heat as well as winter cold. Strips of adhesive-backed felt or foam, or cords made of clay-like putty, can be pressed against the cracks and spaces around windows, and new putty can stop leaks around the individual panes.
Other quick fixes can include an insert, which is just a pane of glass or plastic that fits inside the entire window, creating one more layer of air for insulation, and blocking the movement of air through the loose panes of the outer window. There are plastic sheets, applied to the inside window frame with heat, that seal the window in the same way. Even heavy drapes can block cold air from entering a room through the window.
A better way is to take the time and trouble to dismantle the window, remove the outer trim and repair or replace the caulk that fills the gap between the frame and the wall. The inner trim can be removed as well, to weatherstrip around the frame on the inside without leaving the stripping material in plain sight. Old putty should be removed from each pane and new putty applied, and even the pulleys, sash cords, and beads can be replaced. A good thing to add in this complete renovation is hidden, stiff brush strips that allow the window to slide open and shut but make a tight seal against the weather.
Reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows, either by do it yourself stop gaps, or your own extensive repair and replacement of caulking, putty, and parts. You may choose to call a professional draught proofing company to do this complicated job for you.
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Get the inside scoop on how to reduce your energy costs by draught proofing your sash windows in our secondary glazing london and top sash window insulation company review.
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