Seattle Windows

Seattle Windows

Residents of Seattle enjoy a fairly mild climate, but heating bills keep going up. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has determined that windows are responsible for one-third of the heat loss from a typical home. One solution to reduce that loss is by replacing your current windows with new, energy-efficient windows.

How to Tell If Window Replacement Is Needed

If your existing windows are more than 30 years old, poorly fitting, and have broken glass or rotting wood, window replacement is indicated.

What to Look For in Replacement Windows

The window frame and the glass are both contributors to heat loss. Aluminum replacement window frames do not insulate as well as either wood or vinyl. Wood is expensive, so vinyl window frames can give you the best price/performance ratio. To minimize heat loss through the glass, consider double-pane windows with argon gas in the gap between panes. Low-E coatings on the glass also impede heat transfer. When evaluating windows, pay close attention to the U-value, which is a measure of thermal performance. The lower the U-value, the better.

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Window Replacement Tax Incentives

Although Seattle and Washington state provide some energy-saving incentives, there are none currently in place for window replacement. However, there is a federal tax credit of 30 percent for energy-efficient window replacement. This incentive is capped at $1500 and applies only to the windows, not labor or installation costs. It is in effect until December 31, 2010.

Window Replacement Return on Investment

While the national average cost of vinyl window replacement for a mid-range home is $10, 537, it runs $12,509 on average in the Pacific zone, which includes Seattle. However, the return on investment in the Pacific zone is 93.1 percent versus 77.2 percent nationally. Vinyl window replacement in an upscale home in the Pacific zone has an average return of 93.6 percent, compared with 79.2 percent nationwide.