Living through Connecticut’s varied New England seasons, we’re all familiar with the twice-yearly ritual of installing or removing storm windows. When the fall crisp gives way to the chill of impending winter, heavy storm windows go in; at first sign of spring we pull them out and let the fresh breeze inside.
This seems to make perfect sense – storm windows provide insulation, and insulation is for wintertime. No one wears a parka in summer, after all. But insulation is also useful in the summertime, for keeping hot air out and cool air in. This is doubly true if you have central air or even a window air conditioning unit.
With this in mind, could it actually be a good idea to leave storm windows in over the summer?
Air conditioning or au naturel?
Basically, it depends on how you keep your home cool and comfortable through the summer. If you rely on fans, shade, and cool breezes to cool your house through the dog days, your best bet is probably to stick with the biannual ritual and take your storm windows off in spring. Without air conditioning, the circulation of fresh air is the easiest way to stay cool.
If you’ve got air conditioning, however, storm windows will act as another layer of insulation, keeping your AC’s cool air inside the home and hot air out, increasing energy efficiency. That means lower electricity bills during the time of year they’re often highest.
In short: if you’ve got AC, keep the storm windows in all year.
What about storm doors?
What’s true of storm windows is also true of storm doors. Opening the front door and letting a cool
breeze blow through the screen is a refreshing treat in the summer time, but if you’ve got air conditioning, that amounts to wasted energy and wasted money.
A storm door will make it easy to enjoy the aesthetic benefits of opening your front door in summer time, letting in warm sunshine and giving you a better view of the outdoors, while keeping your AC’s cool air inside.
How else do I keep cool in summer?
Another way to keep your house comfortable in summer is to install canopies above your windows and doors. This will keep the warmth of direct sunlight out of your home, naturally cooling it down and keeping the harsh UV rays from deteriorating your furniture and carpeting as well. Check out this blog post to learn more.