Prepare Windows and Doors
04/18/2023
Make Resilient Upgrades | Strengthen Your Home • Extreme Heat
Why do they matter?
Maintaining energy efficiency in your home is always important but especially during extreme heat. Ensuring your home can maintain cooler temperatures inside is crucial to remaining safe during hot summer weather.
What do I need to know?
- Sunlight coming in through the windows is converted to heat as it passes through the window glass.
- Keeping cooler air inside the home is critical to preventing the temperature from exceeding what can be considered safe indoors.
- The smallest of air leaks in windows and doors can cause significant air exchange and allow warmer air indoors.
Where do I start?
- Weather-strip doors and sills to keep cool air in.
- Caulk any gaps around windows, vents or other wall openings.
- Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings, or louvers. (Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent.)
- Keep storm windows up all year.
- Add insulation to keep the heat out.
- Install window air conditioners and insulate around them.
- Consider applying window tint film to those windows that get direct sunlight exposure.