Published on April 13, 2022
Are you looking for ways to reduce your energy bill this summer by making your home more energy efficient? One of the best ways to increase a building’s energy efficiency is by repairing original wood windows.
With proper maintenance and a few modifications, it’s easy to love your wood windows while saving the environment and your budget — and preserving some of a building’s most important historic features for future generations to enjoy.
An energy-efficient historic window can be accomplished with minimal upgrades to the original window that cost far less than replacement. Weather stripping and caulking around window openings are among the least invasive and cost-effective ways to weatherize windows and reduce air infiltration, according to the National Park Service’s Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.
Install weather stripping on the interior of a window between sashes, around sash perimeters and behind sash tracks. When applied to moving window parts, weather stripping can become loose or damaged, so regular maintenance checks can ensure that windows remain airtight.
On the exterior, use caulk to close perimeter joints along the window frame exterior “where two dissimilar materials meet; where expansion and contraction occur; or where materials are joined together.” These simple steps can significantly reduce and, in many cases, eliminate drafts.
A repaired wood window is more energy efficient than any new window product found on the market, including vinyl, PVC or aluminum.
Local company Hull Millworks has been repairing original wood windows for years, and can attest to the performance of energy-efficient windows. Hull Millworks has produced several YouTube videos on the topic, such as “5 Great Reasons to Keep Historic Wood Windows.”
Historic wood windows made of hardy old-growth woods can last for centuries if they are regularly maintained. On the other hand, many new replacements — especially those made of vinyl, PVC or aluminum — have a much shorter lifespan of a few decades. While individual parts of traditional wood windows can be repaired and replaced, modern replacement windows typically require replacement of the whole unit when one component fails. Restoring an existing wood window keeps these materials out of a landfill and avoids the energy consumption required to manufacture and ship them.
The City of Fort Worth is partnering with Hull Millwork to host a wood window workshop on Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at Hull Millwork’s workshop, 201 Lipscomb St, Suite 01.
To learn more about how to register for the workshop or to learn the best ways to improve energy efficiency in a historic home, contact Historic Preservation Officer Justin Newhart in the city’s Development Services Department at 817-392-8037.
Photo: Repairing original wood windows can make your home more energy efficient. Learn how at a May 14 workshop.
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