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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-02, Page 50Page B Replace worm -out windows and doors to cut fuel bills If your old wooden win- dows and doors can't be seal- ed effectively against leaks and-drafts,it_may be time to install efficient, modern, energy-saving replacements_ In several years your sav- ings in energy alone may compensate for the initial ex- pense, because double - glazed replacement win- dows, properly installed, will cut heat loss through win- dows by as much as 40 per- cent. Aluminum replacements have gained popularity be- cause wood tends to warp and eventually rot; vinyl may lose strength due to ultra- violet light degradation and may become brittle at below -freezing tempera- tures. Aluminum, on the other hand, is rigid and strong and, despite its light weight, won't shrink, swell or rust. Don't worry if your win down aren'r-a standard size' or shape. Aluminum re- placements can be custom - cut to fit virtually a, y open- ing. They come in a variety of architectural s°vles, either with an anodized finish, or with a baked -on enamel coat- ing to match or., blend with any color indoor or outdoor decor. There are aluminum com- binations for picture win- dows, bay windows. double -hung and single -hung windows, vertical and hori- zontal sliders, tilt windows and for doors of all kinds, in- cluding those to the patio. Made to fit the exact space, they come as com- plete, pre -assembled units with aluminum frame, glass, weatherstripping and trim. A qualified remodelar can in- stall new aluminum units quickly and neatly. While you're thinking about replacing worn-out windows, you should invest- igate the various types avail- able and try to see complete windows in addition to the miniature sample in the salesman -s kit- The newest and best re- placement windows incorpo- rate self -storing sashes and they are thermalized. This means that a thermal irfsulat= Before you start to work, be sure to check building codes If you plan to add a room to your home or convert an existing one, first familiarize, yourself with your local building codes, says the Na- tional Home Improvement Council. Building codes are on the books of virtually every town, city and country in the nation, but they vary widely from one municipality to an- other. As a general rule, how- ever, a building permit is re- quired whenever structural work is involved or when the basic living area of a resi- dence is to be altered. For example. if you plan to partition off an unfinished area of your home and com- plete it as a room, you'd need a building permit in most lo- calities. This is because you'd be changing an area in your home from storage to living space. Code requirements and de- tails respecting building per- mits are usually available at your town hall_ You simply pay the required fee and as- sume responsibility for fail- ure to file required permits. Check heaters If you heat your home electrically, you are an above-average user of ' electricity, and therefore have a large stake in its proper use. But a lot can happen between its point of origin and the moment you feel the warmth in your home. To illustrate, when a wave starts its run in the deep water, it looks like a great heaving wall that could -go on forever. Then, as it nears the beach, it starts to break and release its tremendous power and soon ends up on the sand barely able to crawl the last few inches. Energy is something like that. It starts way back as a barrel of oil, when we can assume it is ready to give us 100 percent. But it begins to lose something at the moment of release — some may go up in smoke and some be ab- sorbed by the -generating equipment. The barrel of oil emerges as electricity with less than half of its original energy ef- ficiency; then loses still more as it comes through the lines, until it is about one-third of its old self by the time it reaches the home -heating equipment. Hydroelectric power is less wasteful of the water's energy, partly because there is no burning -involved, but it's still below par at the end of the line. So it's important to make the most of your electricity by grabbing the heat while it's hot. Besides the obvious gambit of turning your thermostat down, the following tips should help : +Dust and dirt on electric heaters means less heat is being delivered to you than the system was designed for. Vacuum the heaters regularly throughout the heating season. +Put warm air where it will do the most good. You can do this with wall -mounted convectors by seeing that they have proper deflectors on them — it's easy to tell where the heat is going by standing near the convector. +Let the- warm air cir- culate freely in your rooms. In other words, don't block off warm air outlets with fur- niture and don't cover baseboard heating units with drapes. +If you have heating cables in the ceilings or floors, you can help them to do a better, job in two ways. First, make sure you have them properly insulated, so the heat radiates into the room. Second, look periodically for hidden faults such as a broken cable. You can do this by making spot checks with your hand against the ceiling or floor. Any cool sections will in- dicate there is some kind of trouble there. ing material in the frame and sash, along with insulating glass (2 or 3 sheets of glass separated by a dead air - space} keeps-heat_inside, and. _ prevents drafts from coming into the house. Some re- placement units even have storm windows attached. By replacing an old win- dow with thermalized, double -glazed aluminum, plus storm sash, a family could realize substantial heating savings. In Bangor, Maine, using oil heat at 50e a gallon and hav- ing a window area of 250 square feet, they could realize a savings of as much as $170 a year; in Lansing, Michigan, they could save $150; in Richmond, Virginia, $80; and in -Portland, Oregon, about $100_ If they heat with electricity, savings could be three times more and with natural gas about half_ " INSULATED ALUMINUM -FRAMED replacement windows blend into this turn -of -the -century house as well as they fit contemporary homes. They can cut fuel bills up to 40 percent and reduce maintenance. Custom -cut to fit any style window, and easily installed, they come with baked -on finishes to complement any color paint or aluminum siding. Photo: the Aluminum Association. 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