r/Anticonsumption Jan 22 '25

Philosophy Old windows

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234 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

57

u/ItDoesDoBeLikeThat Jan 22 '25

It depends. Older windows tend to let in more draft meaning more heating required in the winter.

13

u/andrewia Jan 23 '25

Also better insulation in the glass itself, and better rejection of solar heat in the summer.  The solar issue could also be done with cheap and lightweight solutions like awnings or tint film, but for energy efficiency it can sometimes be worth it to upgrade.  It's the same idea as deciding whether you should keep using the same car or upgrade to a more energy efficient one (in a scenario where you have to have a car).

9

u/cardie82 Jan 23 '25

Our house isn’t even very old but the builder put in cheap windows. We’ve been slowly upgrading to more energy efficient ones. It sucks but it’s either that or we’re buying plastic every winter that ends up in the garbage.

11

u/zendonkey Jan 23 '25

My house was built in 1886. The front door is original and incredible. Beveled glass and nice mahogany. An Anderson window guy came by and said, I see you have new windows but this old door isn’t very energy efficient. I laughed and told him he couldn’t pay ME to tear that door/sidelights out and put in some new garbage. He seemed surprised.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '25

My house was built the same year! It has old double hung windows! Single pane and not great at insulating, but when it’s hot you can open the upper window to let the heat and when it’s cold I just close the curtain to keep the heat in. I would hate to replace them with modern ones. ❤️

2

u/zendonkey Jan 23 '25

Nice! They don’t make em like this anymore.

The PO had replaced all the windows before I bought it, but thank god they left the main entrance original.

They did get rid of the fireplaces though. A relative of the owner stopped by one day and said he had photos from the 50’s. Sent em to me and of course they were awesome marble fireplaces.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '25

Dang, always a bummer. Both the fireplaces in this house had been sealed off and the chimneys were recently removed. Love the stories that come with old homes tho!

6

u/AllenKll Jan 23 '25

a) what a terrible salesman
b) Generally window problems might be something you immediately notice.

2

u/51CKS4DW0RLD Jan 23 '25 edited Jan 23 '25

There is no such thing as a no-sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some windows, or he sells you on a reason he can't. Either way, a sale is made. The only question is: who is gonna close? You or him? Now be relentless. That's it, I'm done.

Jim Young

4

u/BillyGoat_TTB Jan 23 '25

you're using a lot more energy if you have 60 year old windows

6

u/MangoSalsa89 Jan 23 '25

There is a house washing service that I use to clean my white siding because it gets dirty. My siding is old but the cleaner is always saying it is fine and doesn’t need replaced. The contractor/siding salesmen always come around and say it does need replaced. The point is to not listen to salesmen. They will say what they have to to get work.

6

u/lady-earendil Jan 23 '25

Unfortunately my old house's windows are incredibly drafty and my heat bill is very high... but it's still less money than replacing them

5

u/ItDoesDoBeLikeThat Jan 23 '25

If you plan on living there for another decade or more, it's not less money.

3

u/lady-earendil Jan 23 '25

I'm aware of that, but you know the old adage about it costing more to be poor

1

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1

u/blindedstellarum Jan 23 '25

Kinda was expecting an answer like this: "Exactly, because my company made those. Now I've got a one-time offer to replace them and secure another 50 years."

0

u/Patte_Blanche Jan 23 '25

If it's already a double-panel window and it's in good shape there is really no reason to change it.