Replacement windows DEMAND replacement insulation!
Replacing old windows with newer, more efficient windows is a big business.
It isn't cheap. But the companies all promise savings.
About 30% of the energy efficiency in the house is lost through windows and doors. Therefore the promised savings varies depending on what is purchased and how the new materials are installed. But new windows and doors will likely be more efficient in a couple of ways and will actually work properly!
When the older windows are removed often insulation comes with them.
Certainly that insulation would need to be replaced.
But also, around the windows the new technique is to add a bead of minimally-expansive foam into any gaps around the new windows and the old framing.
When well done that foam will seal nearly 100% of air flow around the windows.
It also seals the opening so well that outdoor sounds are dampened dramatically.
However, there is another problem, which can be seen in this thermal image.
Older houses often have poorly situated, or lesser, insulation!
If all of the windows and doors in the house still have the older, poorly situated, or missing, insulation, then the energy savings promised by this new "investment" diminish dramatically.
Insulation MUST be paid attention to!
My recommendation: if you consider replacing your windows and doors with more efficient ones, ask what is done to insure that the insulation will be paid attention to during the new installation. Will something be done to look at the existing insulation to see if it needs improvement? Will foam around the framing be used to control air and sound? These are valid questions. If these things are not paid attention to the new, so-called "energy saving" investment may not be at all!
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