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Energy efficient windows and doors can save you up to a third on your utility bills. BAD efficiency attempts will damage your home and cost you hundreds. Here are a few "tips" to avoid:

Tip 1: Covering windows with an after-market window film as to reduce damaging sun rays.
Truth: These films may claim to reduce ultraviolet (UV) radiation when applied to glass on windows or doors, but they may also cause glass breakage. A better solution is to choose the most energy-efficient, factory-assembled, Low-E glass windows to meet your home insulation and UV radiation protection needs.

Tip 2: Sealing windows shut is an effective way to conserve energy.
Truth: Sealing windows is ineffective and threatens your family's safety! Windows used as potential emergency exits must be operable to provide ventilation and a possible escape route in a fire or emergency.

Tip 3: Putting towels or rugs around leaking entry or patio doors will keep cold air out and warm air inside.

Truth: This short term solution to poorly installed windows & doors is ineffective. When replacing entry doors for best performance, safety, or to improve energy-efficiency, select entry door systems that are factory-built to quality standards, like The Window Factory's entry door systems, rather than doors assembled on-site from pieces or components.

-JJ

High wind and heavy rain damage from recent storms in Southern California has left many residents with hefty home-repair expenses. Just this past weekend, FOX 5 News reported an astonishing 3 inches of rainfall, many California homeowners are not prepared for these extreme weather conditions.

One way homeowners can protect their homes from deteriorating in unpredictable weather, is through weep hole maintenance.Weep holes, are small, protected openings at the base of the window that allow water inside to move outside the window and evaporate. Older metal frame and wood windows on the other hand, often have cracks that create leaks. Water entering the window, unable to drain, can infiltrate window seals and walls leading to water-damaged frames and even mold.

To protect homes from damage, licensed architect George Wolfson recommends replacing windows with American Architectural Manufacturer's Association (AAMA), R-rated window systems that are explicitly developed to weather (excuse the pun) specific climates and environments.
The Window Factory's vinyl windows, are designed with weather-proof weep hole protection.. Check out the latest Window Factory vinyl window systems. Our unique window designs and certified expert installation,by AAMA Certified Installation Masters® are guaranteed by The Window Factory's lifetime protection warranty.

The easiest way to start saving 10% on your energy bills while ridding your house of toxic fumes? Insulate. Ridding your home of drafts can reduce your expenses as well as your carbon foot-print.

10% of heating is lost through inefficient, ill-fitted windows and 31% through floors, walls and ceilings. Investing in high-quality window and insulation systems, custom fit for your home, can save you a bundle.

The latest leaders in organic insulation? Sheep! Wool home insulation is a cost-efficient, biodegradable and easy to install solution that has been scientifically proven to remove toxic gases like formaldehyde from the air in your home. Most home ventilation is circulated through windows.By using professionally installed, energy saving windows with Low-E3, you can ensure an energy efficient home.

Protect your family and bank account today!

As we've noted on The Window Factory blog before, replacing your old windows with double-paned, low-emission vinyl windows from The Window Factory can reduce your heating bills by up to thirty percent by helping to keep the cold air out and trap warm air indoors.

The same holds true in San Diego for keeping your home cool in the summertime by reducing the air conditioning that escapes due to insufficient insulation or old single-pane windows.

Arianne Cohen put up a great post this week on The New York Time's "The Fix" Blog, with some other practical tips for winterizing your home by identifying air leaks, installing weather stripping and other techniques for insulating your living space.

"One good way to locate air leaks inside, is to hold a lighted candle around the frames of windows, doors and electrical outlets, checking to see if the flame quivers. Unused outlets commonly expel cold air and can be plugged with outlet covers, available for a couple of dollars at any home supply store.

Weather-stripping installation kits - which usually come with three strips of metal, vinyl or wood (about $20) - and door sweeps (about $10) can help prevent leaks around doors. Nail or screw the strips into the door frame, and then attach the sweep to the bottom edge of the door.

Old windows can be particularly drafty. One easy fix is to buy an inch-thick strip of foam, sometimes called a draft stopper, that can be cut to size and inserted in the gaps along the sashes (around $10 for a canister). It can also be used along the edges of air-conditioning units installed directly in the wall or permanently in a window.

Another solution is to attach window-insulating shrink-wrap film around the frame with double-sided tape, and then seal it in place with a hairdryer (about $10 for enough to cover a couple of windows). There's one hitch, though: for the duration of winter, your windows will be covered in the film, which many people find unsightly.

Thick curtains can work wonders at blocking drafts, and they look much nicer, but make sure to open them when it's sunny so that the natural light can heat up the space."

Over the course of owning your home, the most cost-effective and energy efficient solution will be to have new windows and doors installed by experts .  And with the tax credits available through 2010, no money down and deferred interest financing, it's only a few clicks of the mouse to make the change. But, if you need a quick fix to beat the winter chill or summer heat, hopefully these tips will come in handy for you.

-JJ