Shut window on high utility costs

During the spring and summer, windows frame a picture-perfect world filled with brilliantly blooming flowers and trees, children riding bikes and dogs running in the yard.

Unfortunately, windows can also increase utility bills. However, taking a few steps to improve the efficiency of your homes windows can make all the difference between spending money on high utility bills or taking a well-deserved family vacation.

Everyone knows that there’s money to be saved by replacing old, drafty windows with new energy-efficient ones. However, window replacement may be more than your pocketbook will allow at the moment.

In the meantime, with a few simple steps and a trip to the local hardware store or home center, even a novice do-it-yourselfer can find it easy to reduce utility bills and increase home comfort.

Weather-stripping is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce drafts around windows. It can be applied to the window sash to decrease the amount of airflow leaking through the frame. Peel-and-stick or nail-on material is easy to install and can pay big dividends in energy savings.

Keep in mind that even weather-stripping has limitations. It works great on windows that open, but won’t help improve the energy efficiency of fixed frame windows.

Closing blinds and curtains to block sunlight will reduce the amount of UV rays and heat that enters a home. Unfortunately, heat can still build up between windows and window coverings and radiate throughout a home. Plus, covered windows destroy your view and can make an otherwise cheery room feel dark and closed in.

Planting shrubs and trees around a home can help provide shade for a home as well as increase the privacy and beauty of a home. Window film is an easy way to quickly reduce utility costs. It can be installed on single-pane windows or as an upgrade to dual pane, insulated windows.

Window film consists of a micro-thin layer of polyester film with a coating specially designed to reflect up to 70 percent the summer’s heat.

Although window film can be installed professionally, leading manufacturers are producing do-it-yourself friendly installation kits that contain precut material along with all the tools necessary for a successful installation.