Do the Math!

A colleague preparing a video asked for help finding a graphic he’d once seen in an energy lecture: the lecturer thought it had come from OHJ. It’s a chart that compared payback periods for various window-upgrade options. We went hunting for it, and found the original in the October 2007 issue. We have not updated it, but prices haven’t changed radically since then. The ratios are certainly the same. (Costs assume a 3' x 5' window, installed, and gas heat at $1.09/therm.) If ever there were a sharp stick in the eye for replacement-window salespeople, this has to be it. Even if new windows resulted in annual fuel-cost savings, it would take a very long time to pay back the initial investment cost of the new windows.

Weights and pulleys create a superior balance system—when it’s renewed, you can open a sash with one hand. Any draft is more likely coming from a gap at the outside trim, or a poor seal at the floor joists.