Sash windows are typically an essential part of the historical character of your home. However, original windows can be exceptionally energy inefficient.
Sash windows have actually been designed in such a way that they can be dismantled for repair work or the replacement of damaged sash cords with relative ease. Lots of individuals do not realise this, and often believe that replacement of the whole window is the only choice when they run into troubles with maintenance or enhancing energy performance. This is just not the case.
Why keep sash windows?
Replacing sash windows not only impacts the appearance and character of your structure, it is likewise exceptionally expensive and potentially harmful to the structural integrity of the building itself.
On top of this, changing original sash windows can be exceptionally wasteful. The high-quality wood that forms the basis of initial timer windows is exceptionally tough to come by nowadays, indicating that the replacement and eventual discarding of these frames would be an unneeded waste.
Not just that, but plastic double glazing tends to only have a helpful life of around twenty years approximately. After this they often wind up as garbage dump, taking in huge amounts of energy in their production to become waste. As we go into a period of ever-scarcer resources and climate uncertainty, minimising waste and energy consumption is of vital significance.
Without further ado, let’s look at four simple things that you can do to make your sash windows for energy effective.
1. Upkeep
Keeping your sash windows in a great state of repair work not only makes sure that they will last for many years to come, however it will also make them more effective. Ensuring that windows are well painted will lower cold and damp in the window location, and taking care of fractures will lower draughts. Check your windows annually and be prepared to look for the most typical of problems:
- Cracked and flaky paintwork: combat this by repainting every 5-8 years.
- Windows sticking: this can be due to the bad refitting of the staff bead about report or recording, which can quickly be fixed. Alternatively, it may be because of an accumulation of paint, which is easily detachable.
- Look out for failing putty and broken or split panes of glass: these can be easily fixed.
- Broken cords
- Timber decay: minor repairs can be performed by painting, more substantial repair work can be carried out by a qualified joiner.
2. Draught-Proofing
Did you understand that the gaps around your sash windows can be the equivalent of an opening measuring a minimum of 10 inches? Draught proofing your sash windows is among the most useful and cost effective ways to make your home more energy effective, conserving you from expensive heating expenses and draughty, rattling windows.
Depending on the kind of draught proofing you choose, your repayment is normally anything between 5 and twenty-five years. The repayment can also be as low as three years, indicating you start to reap the benefits of energy effectiveness a lot more rapidly. Simply to compare: it can take between 60 and 100 years for your double glazing to start saving you cash! It actually does pay to restore your gorgeous windows and take advantage of new draught-proofing innovations.
3. Secondary Glazing
Heat can also be lost through the glass of your windows themselves, causing cold spots and condensation. You can right away tackle this with a pair of heavy curtains, which can cut heat loss by approximately one third.
Double glazing, on the other hand, ultimately suggests the loss of your initial windows. This can be have major consequences for the character and beauty of your home, especially if you reside in a historical or noted structure and can not get double glazing that sufficiently follows the original window pattern.
4. Shutters.
Shutters are possibly the most conventional of ways to keep in heat at night, and making your sash windows more energy effective. Sash windows were typically made with accompanying shutters to retain heat and offer privacy in the evenings. Not only do initial shutters look good, well-fitting shutters can perform along with double glazing. The primary concern with shutters is that they block out the light and are inappropriate for daytime use.
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