If you’ve been considering replacing your windows, one of your biggest questions is likely, “Are replacement windows worth it?” We’re here to tell you they are—especially if your windows are old or damaged! Choosing the best replacement window for your home can provide countless benefits that enhance your home and, as a result, improve your own life.
However, choosing “good” replacement windows is different from selecting the best. The best replacement windows will be customized to fit your home using high-quality materials that meet or exceed Energy Star requirements.
Choosing the best window replacement company in your area is also essential. Choosing the best company means the job will be done correctly, and you’re guaranteed a positive, stress-free experience!
Below, we discuss six ways that choosing the best new windows will radically enhance your home. But, before you discover the many ways your life could soon improve, feel free to learn more about the customized windows offered by Your Window Solutions by clicking the button below.
1. Allow More Natural Light In
Access to more natural light can result in a slight but notable decrease in your electric bills, which can help make up the renovation costs over time (especially when paired with decreased heating and cooling costs). This benefit may be fairly obvious, but there are a few surprising benefits of having more natural light in your home.
For example, a recent study found that natural light was among the most significant factors in employee well-being in office buildings. If you work at home, you can reap this benefit by installing the best replacement windows in your home office or alternative working space.
Plus, natural light has a significant impact on mental and physical health!
For your mental health, sunlight can lower your stress levels and anxiety. This benefit is especially noted in those suffering from seasonal affective disorder, also known as seasonal depression.
For your physical health, sunlight can boost your body’s vitamin D levels, improve sleep quality, and reduce the risk of an elevated stress response due to excessive fluorescent light exposure. This last point can trigger physical reactions like migraines, digestive issues, nervous system dysregulation and much more. Using as much natural light in your home as possible is the much healthier route!
2. Decrease Energy Costs
Did you know your old windows could be significantly increasing your energy costs over the years?
Old or inefficient windows can allow heating or cooling costs to flow out of your home through poor seals and cracks. Alternatively, they can let heat or cold from outside seep into your home, causing your furnace and air conditioner to work even harder. Of course, the harder your home appliances work, the higher your costs.
Sometimes, this increase in energy costs is quick and obvious, but often, it happens gradually over time. However, the cost decrease after installing new windows should be immediately apparent!
How much can the best replacement windows lower your energy costs? That depends on numerous factors. For example, the age of your previous windows, the quality of the new windows, the type of utilities and your location are a few factors. Some people may see their utility bills drop to hundreds cheaper over the year, while others may only see a few dollars difference each month.
However, these costs will continue over time and will help you effectively recoup the costs of your new windows – especially when paired with the reduction in lighting costs mentioned above.
3. Enhance Home Safety
New windows can enhance your home’s safety (and your family’s, as a byproduct) in two ways: better protection and easier escapes.
The best replacement windows will be stronger and more durable than old, worn-down or damaged ones. Plus, all their vital parts (including the seal and locking mechanisms) will work properly.
A combination of these two factors will make it more challenging for burglars to break into your home using your windows. With nearly 850,000 burglaries being reported to the FBI in 2022 alone, anything that can help protect your home is a great investment!
But there’s a second reason new windows are safer than old ones—which you may not have often considered. New, properly working windows will also make it safer for your family to escape in an emergency, like a fire. The last thing you want to happen during a fire is for an old window to be challenging to open, or worse, not open at all.
4. Improve Airflow
The best replacement windows will also help improve your home’s natural airflow, especially if your old windows were challenging to open or you’re adding more to your home. Like natural light, allowing more fresh air into your home has numerous benefits!
The most obvious benefit is a significant reduction in your home’s energy bills during milder seasons, like spring and fall. Instead of running the heating and cooling system, you can open the windows and enjoy a nice breeze – which doesn’t cost a thing.
But there are some surprising benefits to getting more fresh air into your life. For example, did you know that fresh air can help clean your lungs? It makes sense, considering how much dust, dander and potentially stagnant air fills your lungs when you’re stuck inside. If you have pets, they can contribute to lower indoor air quality – and fresh air is the perfect cure for your whole family!
Other benefits of improving the airflow in your home include:
- Potentially improve your indoor air quality by “airing out” your home
- Improve energy levels and decrease chronic fatigue symptoms
- Improve digestion
- Relieve stress and anxiety symptoms
- Help you get better sleep
- Increase immune functioning
Who knew that simply opening the windows and creating a comfortable cross-breeze could provide so many incredible benefits?
5. Reduce External Noise Pollution
There’s nothing more frustrating than having your peace disrupted by external noise pollution. While the sounds of “outside” are sometimes welcome, we sometimes want to exist in peaceful quiet.
It’s hard to snuggle up with a book to relax when your neighbor is loudly mowing their lawn. Trying to get your children to sleep while loud cars drive past outside can be an absolute nightmare. Trying to work from home when the sounds of construction down the street is ringing in your ears? Incredibly challenging.
Unfortunately, many older windows don’t block external noise very well. The older they get, the less they block out—and the more your peace is disrupted. However, the best replacement windows will immediately fix this issue. If blocking outside noise is one of your primary concerns, you can choose a window type designed to further assist with that!
When you no longer must worry about outside noise disrupting your day, your stress levels will also decrease. This will improve your quality of life and that of everyone else living in your home. No more disrupted bedtime routines or difficulty focusing during your work-from-home days!
6. Improve Overall Home Value
All home renovation projects can increase your home’s value, and new windows are no exception. For example, the 2023 Cost vs. Value Report shows that new windows can improve your home value by as much as $14,912 per window.
To put that into perspective, let’s say you’ve decided to replace all the current windows in your living room, of which you have three. You also choose to increase natural light and airflow, so you plan a renovation to add one more window to this living space. When all is said and done, you can expect your home value to increase by up to $59,648.
If you’re looking to sell in the near or more distant future, this increase in home value can be a boon. Windows that are less than ten years old also benefit home buyers, making it more likely you’ll sell your home quickly and at or above your asking price.
A higher home value isn’t only a boon when you’re hoping to sell. It can also help improve or create new community amenities, making it even better for you, your family and your neighbors!
How Long Should Replacement Windows Last?
A standard residential window should last between 15 and 30 years, with most variations lasting about two decades. However, high-quality and well-maintained windows can last even longer than this average.
At Your Window Solutions, every window we install comes with a lifetime warranty for your continued peace of mind and absolute satisfaction. So, if we were to answer this question about our windows specifically, we’d confidently state, “Forever!”
Start Radically Enhancing Your Home Today!
Having the best replacement windows installed in your home can radically enhance your home in many ways, from allowing in more natural light and air to improving home safety and beyond. Working with the best company can make your replacement project run smoothly and ensure you receive top-quality work with zero errors.
Ready to replace your home’s windows and reap the benefits? Request a free, no-hassle consultation with one of our friendly window pros.
