Windows and Doors are wonderful spots in your home where the outside and the inside meet. The sun shines in on a cold winter day. Spring rain patters rhythmically against a windowpane. A fresh Ottawa breeze carrying the scent of freshly mowed grass blows in from the yard as a loved one arrives for a visit.
Unfortunately, windows can also be a location of great energy loss. Old or compromised windows and improper window installations can allow air to both escape and enter. While this is a common function of windows and doors, it is not meant to happen when they are closed. When it does, your energy bills skyrocket as your temperate inside air seeps outside and is replaced with external air that needs to be climatized, either heated or cooled depending on the season or weather. Such poor energy efficiency can be improved with well-installed replacement windows and doors or by simply adding weatherstripping to your current ones.
What Is Weatherstripping?
Weatherstripping is a narrow piece of felt, foam, vinyl, metal, or rubber that seals the moveable connections of windows and doors when they’re closed. It closes gaps and prevents leaks and drafts, which increases energy efficiency. This means you will not have to heat or cool your home so much and will save money on your heating and cooling bills.
How to Determine If You Need Weatherstripping
Your original window installation may have included factory weatherstripping. To determine if this is the case, you can inspect your windows and doors to determine if they have weatherstripping. To determine if it’s adequate, try this trick:
close each of your windows and doors on a piece of paper then try to remove the paper. If it comes out easily, your weatherstripping is not providing an effective, energy-efficient seal.
What to Do If You Need Weatherstripping
If you determine that your weatherstripping is inadequate, you can install new weatherstripping to your windows and doors. However, it is important to install it correctly, or it won’t be effective. It is also important to consider the condition of your windows and doors, for a lack of weatherstripping may not be the only reason you are experiencing drafts and poor energy efficiency.
Your original window installation may have been improperly executed, or the glass or gas between the panes may be compromised, or perhaps your windows and doors are not appropriate for your climate and do not block out UV rays, which makes cooling in the summer very difficult and expensive. A window and door company can help determine your needs, be it:
· better weatherstripping
· replacement windows and doors
· or both
If You Require Replacement Windows & Doors in Ottawa
Canadian Comfort Windows & Doors has been providing windows and doors replacement in the Ottawa area for over 50 years, and we have Ottawa-appropriate solutions for you. Contact us or come into our showroom to learn more about our selection of replacement windows and doors and the energy efficiency benefits of adding weatherstripping at the time of window installation.