Home Improvements
Taking A Look At Windows
By
Sep 8, 2005, 18:08

(NAPSI)-Improving a home's windows may help shut the door on high energy bills-and improve your family's bill of health. That's because the right windows not only curb energy loss, they help limit indoor air pollutants as well.

For instance, contractors say certain windows help cut down on indoor mold growth by allowing homeowners to maintain recommended humidity levels without window condensation. Excessive condensation often leads to unhealthy mold growth on the sills and deep inside a home's framework structure. Mold can cause a variety of ailments, ranging from headaches to allergies to asthma symptoms.

The following signs may mean your windows are contributing to energy loss and possibly indoor air pollution:

• Windows are difficult to open and close.

• Windows and/or window frames appear to be cracked.

• Moisture damage and stains on windows and doors.

• Moisture between the two panes of glass.

• Visible mold growth on surfaces.

• Condensation on glazing, jambs or sills.

• Blistering or peeling paint.

• Cracked or missing caulking.

If you do plan to replace windows, it's a good idea to take note of the type of edging your new frames have.

Erin Johnson, spokesperson for Edgetech, an industry leader in "health smart" windows, says to avoid windowpane edging materials that are made of aluminum or stainless steel. Instead, Johnson recommends something called the "super spacer," which is made entirely of polymer structural foam. This material conducts heat and cold at a rate 950 times lower than aluminum and 85 times less than stainless steel.

Johnson says homeowners may want to avoid plastic spacers as well. The rigidity of plastic can cause seal failure and it can literally crack the glass edges on extremely cold or hot days.

For more information, visit www.healthsmartwindows.com.

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