Storm windows reduce air leakage by thirty percent
- Staff measure the air pressure at Pierce House in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Last year, Historic New England implemented a number of small measures to increase energy efficiency at Pierce House, and recent tests show that the improvements have paid off.
Air leakage is a major factor in energy waste. Cold air infiltrates a house and causes the heating system to expend more energy to keep the house warm. In order to reduce air leakage, Historic New England staff re-pointed the foundation of Pierce House and implemented minor, reversible repairs to decrease the flow of air through the many nooks and crannies found in an old house. We also installed interior storm windows.
Repeating the same blower door tests that were performed before the project began, we determined that our simple methods reduced air leakage at Pierce House by thirty percent. Although we do not have a full year's worth of data, we are excited about the preliminary results and what they tell us about simple techniques that homeowners can use to reap big results. Learn more about our efforts to increase energy efficiency at our historic properties.
Please consider supporting energy efficiency projects like this or the Lyman Estate weatherization project by contributing to the Preservation Maintenance Fund.
Storm Windows at Pierce House
We've had much the same experience in our small family home here in Ottawa, Ontario. The effort we've put into maintaining our exterior wooden storm windows on this 1939 brick house has made a world of difference to our comfort. Notably, the three rooms that had suffered the replacement of their storm windows with aluminium triple track storms were colder than the rest, until we had replacement wood storms built and installed.
The rooms are warm, draft-free and so very quiet... it's that last that really surprised and pleased us, as we're quite "downtown", and used to get a bit of rumble at rush hour.
Anyway, I was pleased to read your article and to hear of your success. Congratulations!
Sincerely yours,
Deborah McPhedran, Ottawa, ON