With winter just around the corner, it’s important that you check your windows and perform some general maintenance in order to ensure that they are in good condition. Checking and winterizing your windows is an essential part of your fall maintenance checklist and could end up saving you a lot of money down the road.
Casa Bella Windows & Doors is Toronto’s trusted source for new window installation and we are familiar with the damage that old or faulty windows can cause: mould, leaks, structural damage, and an inflated hydro bill to name a few. Keep reading to find out how to properly check and maintain your windows.
More Important than You May Think
During the winter, your window units may be responsible for an excess amount of heat loss that can end up costing you a lot of money on energy bills. In fact, heat loss (and heat gain) through windows are responsible for 25% to 30% of a home’s heating and cooling energy use.
This can be due to a number of factors:
- Old units that lack energy-efficiency
- Old units that are broken and/or worn down
- Units that aren’t properly sealed/seal is broken
- Units that weren’t installed properly to begin with
Are you feeling a draft when near your windows? If you’re not sure, hold up a lit stick of incense (or match) up to your window. If the smoke moves inward (away from the glass) then you have a draft. Drafts are not only responsible for heat loss (and higher energy bills) but also condensation on the glass that can in turn lead to mould.
What You Can Do
While winterizing your windows by applying new caulking and weather-stripping can help with these issues, older windows still won’t perform as well as newer ones.
Instead, you can dramatically lower your hydro bill with ENERGY STAR certified windows that are designed with the latest technology to ensure the best energy savings. These products are designed and tested to meet strict technical specifications for energy performance.
Typical features of an energy-efficient window include:
- Triple glazing
- Low-e coatings on the glass
- Inert gas fill and warm edge spacer between the glass panes
- Compression seals
- Non-metal frame and sash with foam insulation and minimal metal reinforcement
At Casa Bella, all of our windows are ENERGY STAR certified, as well as Health Smart® certified – meaning that we use Super Spacer® silicone foam spacer technology to insulate and seal all units. It provides the best thermal performance in the industry and makes condensation virtually non-existent; meaning you can rest comfortably in a home without humidity and potential mould issues.
You won’t find better performing windows in the industry. We design, manufacture, and install all of our units, meaning that we have complete control of their quality. Nothing we do is sourced from a contractor, and everyone who works for us is an employee.
Experience the Casa Bella Advantage
This fall, consider seriously replacing your windows for higher energy-savings and a more comfortable experience in your home. As Oakville’s first choice for energy-efficient window replacement you can trust that we will provide the best experience all-around: quality product with exceptional service.
We’re ready to take on any project – whether small or big, simple or complex. Give us a call at (416) 650-1033 or toll free at 1-800-407-9917 and begin your journey towards a smarter, more comfortable home today.
