But how much money do you save from replacing your old windows?
According to the website, TakeCareofTexas.org, an initiative of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, cooling and heating accounts for around 45% of energy bills in the state.
A recent report from the Texas Public Utilities Commission showed that the average electric bill costs around $93 a month, with heating costs pegged at $500 during the colder months.
According to a study made by the EfficientWindows.org website, which is developed by the Alliance to Save Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Center for Sustainable Building Research, simple home remodeling with replacement windows can bring savings ranging from 16% to 26% in climates where there are longer heating seasons. During the cooling season, new energy efficient windows would be able to save you somewhere from 6% to 35%.
In Texas, cooling season takes up approximately nine months out of a year. So based on the above assumptions, cooling and heating costs total around $876 a year for the average household.
Just how much money are you wasting by keeping your old windows? Using the range of savings brought forth by EfficientWindows.org, replacement windows now would bring you savings of $60 to $98 from your cooling bills annually and around $30 to $175 annually out of your heating bills. And these are just conservative estimates. EfficientWindows.org estimates that you could save close to $500 from energy efficient windows in a year.
So conservatively, you could gain up to $273 just by replacing your windows to avoid leaking and heat gain!
More incentives. But that is not all. Why suffer through cold drafts and leaks when you can effectively beautify your home and save money in the process?
A lot of utilities in Texas have their own rebate programs for homeowners who undertake improvements that are aimed at improving energy efficiency in their homes. Austin Energy, in particular, gives up to 20% off your investments when you spend around $1,500 in improvements.
Texas also has a Weatherization Assistance Program that provides subsidies for energy efficient improvement to your home, granting that you fall under their income limits.
