Replacement Window RFP

In our home, you could sit in our dining room and see the front yard without looking through glass.  Yes, our front window had a crack so big between the window and frame that a burglar could get through.  Well, maybe if the burglar was a bug.  Cold dining room in the winter?  Yes, that one was pretty easy to figure out.  I also regularly wondered if the cheap builder-grade windows were rotten under the vinyl wraps.  Nobody in our house was brave enough to check.  My son's room (on the north side) had the draftiest window in the whole house, so we just moved his bed away from the window.

Enter a little luck.  We received a windfall one year, and decided to donate the proceeds to replacement windows.  Hundreds of Google hits guaranteed 20% - 35% savings on heating and cooling costs, and everyone knows that saving energy is a hot topic on this blog.  Time for a replacement window RFP.  We looked through the yellow pages, read reviews on window companies, and posted on Facebook that we were on the hunt for a window contractor. 

Our first interview didn't go well.  The windows looked cool, but the deal was only good while the salesman was inside the house.  We asked him to go outside the house and stay there.  The second interview was from a Facebook referral.  Ends up that he replaced windows in our neighbor's house and also their parent's house.  They were 100% happy with the job, so we invited the guy over.  Jeff instantly turned into one of the coolest contractors we've ever met.  His business is Atlas Window Co, and he showed up with a giant notebook full of before and after pictures and dozens of references.  We settled on a price, and the third interview was cancelled.

Here's what we picked:

• Alside Windows
• Two tone vinyl (never needs painting)
• Double hung
• Double pane with Argon gas (insulator between glass panes, noise reducer)
• Low E coating (allows visible light in and reflects light that causes heat)
• Screens on half of the windows
• Aluminum wraps around the windows
• Obscure glass in the bathroom

Jeff followed up with us when the windows arrived at his warehouse and again the night before the installation.  We also received a letter in the mail, showing that our house was added to his insurance policy.  The Atlas Window crew had the new windows installed in less than a day.  They replaced all the rotten wood in the window openings, which ended up being most of the ones that faced west.

These are the ones we could see through the cracks

View from back yard

Study windows

This one was in pretty good shape, so we just had it wrapped.

Bathroom window glass

Obsure glass was installed in both panes in the bathroom. Light comes through, but nobody can see in.  If the sun is out, you can take a shower with all the lights off and see just fine.








Now for the punch line.  Do replacement windows really save money???  The power and gas bills were compared with previous years nicely in Excel.  Do they save 20-35%?  The simple answer is no.  By my calculations, they make less than a 5% difference (roughly $6 a month).  How much were the windows?  A little less than $6,000.  Isn't that like an 80 year return on investment?  83 to be exact.  The math just doesn't work out.  Hmmmm, let's look at the whole thing from a different angle.  If you can hang for a little longer, I'll tell you what we got out of the deal.

• Many of the windows were rotted after 15 years of the elements, and the windows needed to be replaced anyway. 
• The house was much quieter instantly.  No kidding.  Road noise, AC compressors, barking dogs, and screaming kids got their volume turned down significantly.
• More light in the bathroom!
• More light in the entire house.  The old windows had 100% screens, and half screens let in more light.  The metal structure of the window is also about an inch thinner, so the replacement windows have a wider glass area.
• No more paying to paint windows, ever.  This job was required every 2-3 years at about $500 a pop.
• $200 tax credit.  Make sure you read the tax rules and get a window that has a good enough rating for the credit (if the credit is still offered). 
• In the winter, the house really does feel warmer throughout.  No question that our new windows insulate the house much better, but the thermostat isn't by the window.  It's in the middle of the house.  By the time the cold air got from the old windows to the thermostat, the house was downright freezing by the windows.  Now, the house cools down and heats up more consistently.

SUMMARY

Did our power bills go down?  Yes, about enough to super size an extra value meal.
Should you replace windows to save money on power bills?  No way.
Are we happy?  You bet!

Read this article to find more tips about hiring contractors.
Interested in how to really save some money on electricity bills?  Click here.