Home energy Q&A

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT) - Q: Our family room always feels drafty no matter what season it is. A few of my neighbors said it sounds like it's time to replace the windows. Anything else we should check first before making this big expenditure?

A: Absolutely. Before you do anything else, examine the installation of your current windows. If there's not a tight seal around the frame edges, you're going to have some serious air leakage problems. Even the best windows can't stop air leakage if they're not sitting properly in their frames.

Hardware stores are full of easy-to-use, low-cost caulking and weather-stripping materials, and if the windows don't seal properly you ought to be able to fix the problem yourself.

Even if your home was well-built and the windows were properly installed, they can shift over time as the home settles and as they get frequent use, opening up cracks and weakening the seal around them. This is one reason I advise homeowners to periodically do a mini energy audit of their homes, checking for gaps or cracks in the exterior walls where unwanted air can flow. Look especially at potential sources of problems such as openings where pipes and wires come into the home, as well as around all the windows and the exterior door frames.

You also need to check on the window frames, which are sometimes the problem when there are window-related issues. Repairing or replacing window frames can often take care of a problem like yours at a lot less cost than replacing the windows themselves.

But you may find out that indeed you do need new windows, and if so, I urge you to get them and get good ones. Windows are sometimes referred to as big holes in the envelope around your home, so they're worth the investment to get good ones that fit properly and are suited for your climate.

I've got one other piece of advice for you today. Get on line and visit http://hes.lbl.gov/. It's one of my favorite sites for finding out how to make a home more energy efficient. The site lets you compare your energy usage to other homeowners in your community, and after you enter details on your house, it suggests a variety of improvements that can lower your energy bill. You can even put in the payback time you'd like to get on your energy reduction investments, as well as the level of efficiency you'd like to have. The site then offers suggestions on improvements in terms of all the major home energy users _ your heating and cooling systems, water heating, major and small appliances, lighting and various miscellaneous uses. In your case, pay special attention to the information on windows. Take the time to input as much detail on your home as possible, and you will be very pleased with the great feedback you'll get on windows for your home.

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The site, by the way, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, and calculates home energy use based on methods developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the country's leading energy research centers. What I like most about the site is that it is based specifically on your home's location, since so many energy-saving strategies are climate-specific.

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(Ken Sheinkopf is a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society (www.ases.org). Send your energy questions to askken(AT)ases.org.)

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