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Property owners are increasingly looking to window restoration, in the Chicago region and nationwide, as a way to improve the functionality and efficiency of aging buildings while maintaining the building’s unique charm. While such restoration can be a significant undertaking, it carries with it significant economic, financial, and aesthetic benefits. Improve Energy Efficiency While the antique windows of a historic building are often among its most charming features, energy efficiency was probably not the primary concern of the original builder. In today’s terms, this means that about 50% of a building’s heating and cooling costs are being lost through the windows. Fortunately, a simple restoration job can work wonders to improve the efficiency of aging windows, with modern, energy-efficient windows often cutting heat loss by up to 50%. This translates into extra money in your pocket. Improve Climate Control In addition to the cost savings that you’re sure to see, improved windows can also help make your home or office a much more comfortable place. Between hot, humid, summers and bitterly cold winters, it can be nearly impossible to keep your home at an ideal temperature. If you’re in an older building, this problem is only compounded. Fortunately, most modern windows have been explicitly designed for maximum climate control. One interesting technology is what’s called a low-emissivity (low-e) coating. A low-e coating is a microscopic metal coating on the window glass. While this coating is invisible to the human eye, it reflects heat away from the window, keeping the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Improve Window Functionality In the past 20 years, as energy prices have spiked and window heat loss has become more of a concern for property owners, new materials and practices have come to the fore. Whereas 20 years ago a typical window was a single-pane in a standard aluminum frame, the standard window today is typically multi-pane, with an insulating frame and a reflective coating. A window restoration project will replace aging hardware with modern technology, thereby reducing air flow and increasing the functionality of your windows. Maintain the Character of a Historic Building While efficiency and cost savings are surely important concerns, aesthetics are also an essential part of the equation for any property owner considering a major renovation project like window restoration. Especially in a historic building, much of the charm comes from the details of the façade which have been preserved over the years. In order to preserve this aesthetic appeal, look for contractors who make a practice of using as much of the original window as possible. A quality contractor will maintain most of the original frame (which might be made of higher-quality materials than a modern window frame), while replacing only the parts which have rotted out or otherwise become unusable. Overall, a window restoration project is definitely a major undertaking, but one that many property owners should consider. For more information with window restoration in Chicago, please visit us on our website.
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