On Fri, 11 May 2012 03:11:44 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

All this talk about repl/new windows! My vinyls have been in my house for 20 years, mint condition. They're so efficient all they did was turn my house into a chimney! Â*All the heat was rising up through the attic.

I had to beef up my attic insulation to match, and now the boiler runs about 1/3 as long as it used to.

Lesson? Heat RISES . Very little escapes sideways, through windows. Â*So insulate that attic, the floor only, unless it will be lived in. Â*Repair cracked plaster ceilings or replace with sheetrock. Â*This will eliminate drafts creating the illusion of worn out windows & doors.

And only then, replace windows when they are really loose or dont stay up. Â*Better off repairing/retrofitting doors - a lot more "drafts" can be eliminated that way.

#1. Insulate attic & tighten up ceilings.($$)

#2. Doors.($$$$)

#3. Windows($$$$$$!)
Unless you house has those crappy sashless windows that were so
common in the sixties and seventies - or the crappy aluminum framed
loose-fit sliders form the same era, or the wood frames (jams) have
ratted - which is a common occurence - in which case installing
"inserts" is a loosing battle and totally foolhardy.

Installing "inserts" in the windows of this house would have been a
real exercise in futility. Putting in custom built "new construction"
windows was a cinch, in comparison