tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813480.post8893715963957323288..comments2022-11-26T03:42:16.925-05:00Comments on Hub City Historian: Bradfordingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500464462443784941noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813480.post-50244321967400617522009-03-04T12:27:00.000-05:002009-03-04T12:27:00.000-05:00Good overview, Brad. I disagree with PRice on a n...Good overview, Brad. I disagree with PRice on a number of points. First, when a window is replaced, either via sash replacement or full unit replacement, if and when the seal fails (usually around 20 years) the entire unit does not need to be replaced, only the sash. Also, PRice does not mention the environmental impacts and material costs of maintaining old windows, even if they are made of old growth wood (which, ironically, would not meet FSC or LEED guidelines if used to make sash and jamb components today). Older windows must be reglazed and repainted often, patched with Bondo and Wood Filler (high VOC prodcuts) and quite often lead particles scraped during repainting or repairs become airborne. PRice obviously has a problem with replacement windows in general, but if done tastefully and with an inclination toward original sash and unit configuration, can be done well. I do agree with PRice, though, that the two window replacements themselves would not have had much bearing on LEED certification, except, possibly, during the fulls SERS test (and specifically, the blower test). Older windows can be weatherized but it is a cumbersome and imperfect process. Foam weatherstrip does not stay put; stud pocket cavities (for weight and cord double hung windows) can never be properly insulated; and most old windows leak terribly through the check rails and jamb liner, not to mention around the panes of glass. There is too much debate in Hampton Heights on windows alone. PRice is correct that the attention should be placed on walls and ceilings, but windows do stand as a piece in the puzzle of making a house envelope more efficient. It is hard to justify the attention on windows, though, when many of the houses in Hampton Heights do not have insulated exterior walls!Kam Neelyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09997744411165814946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813480.post-90603067216626756632008-11-16T14:32:00.000-05:002008-11-16T14:32:00.000-05:00What happens when the seal in new windows fails in...What happens when the seal in new windows fails in 5-10-20 years? Typically you have to chuck the whole window because individual components can't be repaired. And we know that the wood used in new windows isn't nearly the quality of older... it deteriorates much faster. <BR/><BR/>They're called replacement windows for a reason. You have to keep replacing them...and replacing them...and replacing them. My money is on the energy/environmental cost of repeated replacement outweighing energy/environmental savings associated with more energy efficient operation of home.<BR/><BR/>Plus a few studies have found that properly weatherized old windows perform nearly as well as new thermally resistant windows. http://www.ncptt.nps.gov/Product-Catalog/Product.aspx?ProductID=1996-08<BR/><BR/>It's very, very doubtful that replacing windows would have made the difference in whether or not this home could be LEED certified – and if that was the homeowner’s main argument I think your committee was sold a bogus bill of goods. There's lots of flexibility built into LEED -- and ample other avenues for improving energy efficiency. US Dept of Energy finds that only about 10% of thermal loss comes from windows -- 30%+ is from attic/walls. Bottom line is there are lots of other ways to improve efficiency that don't involve replacing windows.PRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05243668836199662222noreply@blogger.com