How Do You Tell If Windows are Energy Efficient?

Today, everyone is talking about energy-efficient household appliances and items such as windows and doors. Perhaps you would like to enjoy the benefits of energy-efficient windows, but you don’t know whether your windows are energy efficient or not.

Before spending on energy-efficient window replacement, you should carefully read this post to decide whether your existing windows are energy efficient or not. These are the ways to determine the energy efficiency of windows:

Check the number of glazing

How many glazes does your window have? If your window is single-glazed, it is almost certain that it is not energy efficient. This is because single-glazed windows usually lose a significant amount of heat. Hence, they don’t offer enough temperature control. When choosing a window replacement, you should go for windows with double or triple glazing.

Inspect the windows visually

Another way to tell if your windows are energy efficient is to conduct a visual inspection. Generally, it is easy to see lots of window defects if you can carefully inspect your windows. Depending on the number of windows in your house, you should be ready to spend around 30 minutes or more inspecting the windows.

Check the caulking, panes, and other components of each window. Ensure that you inspect both the interior and exterior of your windows for any issue. Make sure you note any defects for window replacement or repair.

Use the smoke test

The smoke test is an easy-to-use method for evaluating the efficiency of a window. This test does not require any high-tech tool. You only have to get some incense sticks or matchsticks. If you are ready to use the smoke test to check the energy efficiency of your windows, you should do the following:

• Get started by closing all the doors and windows on your property.
• Then, switch off the furnace, water heater, oven, and other combustion appliances inside your property.
• Switch on the exhaust vents of your house. This will lead to a negative pressure environment in the house. If your house has openings and cracks, the outside air will be drawn inside.
• Now, take the incense sticks or matchsticks close to the edges of the windows in your house. Light the sticks and carefully observe for a few seconds.

Is outside air blowing the smoke from the incense stick inward? If yes, the air is leaking from your windows, and you may need window replacement or repair.

Use high-tech equipment

Lastly, you can use high-tech equipment to decide whether your windows are energy efficient or not. Infrared laser thermometers and U-value kits are the common tools for this purpose.

·        Infrared laser thermometer

This equipment is capable of reading the temperatures around a window. After getting a reading from this tool, compare the temperature around your window to the temperature of the other parts of your home. If areas around your windows are warmer or colder than other areas, your window is not energy efficient.

·        U-value kits

This high-tech device is for determining the insulating ability of a material. To use the kit, you need to put the sensors on both the exterior and interior of your window. Follow the manual to read the exterior and interior temperatures of your home. If the exterior temperature is at least 5°C warmer or colder than the interior temperature, your windows are leaking. You may need to start thinking about window replacement.

With these methods, you should have no issue with telling whether your windows are energy efficient or not.