Windows: What they cost, how they save energy, what incentives are available

After Sean and Tamara Ramalho decided to redo the siding on their Freeport home, they also opted to update the windows.

"We decided, why not update everything? We felt some air coming in from some of them," Tamara said of the windows. "We wanted to refresh the house. This was an opportunity to do it. And we wanted to save on our heating and cooling costs."

Over the course of four days in January, they replaced 25 windows, including some with single-panes, with energy-efficient, black-framed double-pane windows with foam-filled sashes and frames and double strength glass. They also installed insulation around the windows and inside all the walls to further seal the building's envelope. The job totaled $75,000.

Windows, by definition, leak energy. With a complicated combination of hot summers and cold winters, Long Island's temperature swings can make the right windows even more important. Even though it can be costly to replace them, doing it right can make a home more welcoming, while cutting costs, which can be good for finances and the environment long-term.

Sean, 54, an insurance executive, and Tamara, 52, an insurance underwriter, believe the house both looks better and feels warmer, with lower energy costs. They estimated they saved 20% on their most recent heating bills and are anticipating even more savings following mild temperatures and into summer.

"We haven't turned up the thermostat. We're more comfortable in the house," Tamara said. "Our dog is back to hanging out in the window even in the winter months."

When windows go wrong

We haven't turned up the thermostat. We're more comfortable in the house. Our dog is back to hanging out in the window even in the winter months.

— Tamara Ramalho, of Freeport

Good-quality windows can make a big difference.

"Each time heat comes into contact with the window and that colder spot, the temperature decreases," said David Ferreira, president of NYS Energy, based in Bethpage. "You may feel like you have a drafty window. It's actually a convective loop no one can stop."

Bad windows let energy flood rather than trickle. Michael Voltz, PSEG Long Island director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables, said windows are responsible for 25% to 30% of residential heating and cooling energy loss.

"Is the window frame rotted? Is it single-pane glass? Is it double-pane glass, but you see fog between it?" asked Jeff Brett, founder and president of King Quality Roofing and Siding in Bohemia. "That means the glass seal broke and moisture gets inside. Those are quick, easy signs. Rotted wood on the outside and mold."

Other telltale signs are condensation, misalignment and not closing properly. "A window may look stained," Ferreira aid. "The argon gas [inside the window] has leaked. That's a sign that it needs to be replaced."

Window World of Long Island Chief Business Development Officer Aaron Levy said spring is a great time to stress test windows, making sure they function and lock properly.

Locked windows should remain shut when you try to open them. "Locked windows always seal tighter and perform better, blocking drafts," Levy continued.

You can redo all windows, or focus on the problem points, replacing ones most in need. "Start with the oldest or in most disrepair," Ferreira said. "Sometimes you don't have to do all the windows, just the ones giving you particular issues."

Window shopping

Levy said the biggest way to save money on new windows is not to "trust the first person who knocks on your door, offers a price and a discount to buy today."

Most legitimate window companies, he added, offer no-interest or low-interest financing or cash/check discounts. "Find the best combination of payment terms that meet your needs," Levy said.

He added that some companies ask as much as $2,500 to $3,500 per vinyl or composite window, offering 30% to 50% off to create a "false sense of value."

Some high-quality premium aluminum-clad wood windows can cost that much, he said, but buyers can choose from premium woods, at least 25 exterior colors, custom grid patterns and decorative hardware.

"Side by side, it's a remarkably different product and you get so much more value and often a better warranty with an aluminum wood clad window," Levy said.

Most homeowners should be able to find great window options with a lifetime warranty in the $800 to $1,200 range from a reputable company that's properly licensed and insured with good-quality product, he said. Adding certain features may increase the price outside of this typical range, he added.

All home improvement companies should be willing to put their entire agreement in writing, covering details. They should also present the warranty and a copy of the insurance for the homeowner to keep.

Shop for substance and style, getting windows that work well and look good. Levy suggested snapping photographs of homes you like or saving pictures you find online. "There are so many colors and styles to choose from," he said. "Research the company or brands that you are considering."

A lot of good online reviews and years in the local market, he said, can prompt "confidence and predictability." A physical showroom and office let you see the products and how the company presents itself.

Get experienced installers to make sure the product and work are good. Levy suggested insisting on factory-certified installers.

The most common mistake Levy sees with DIY windows and doors is using the wrong size or installing incorrectly. A good remodeling company will custom measure and order each window, deliver it and install it and cart away the garbage and debris, he said.

The company should also use professional grade flashing/trim coil, spray foam and sealants, Levy added.

Ferreira said it can be wise to have work done by contractors that are Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified, including insulating and air sealing cavities around windows, and within walls.

"We shoot fiber into every cavity," Ferreira said. "When you densely pack the cavity, you are air sealing."

Incentives

Energy-efficient windows, which Voltz called "an important consideration for both new and existing homes," can cost 30% more than standard windows, but can save on heating and cooling bills.

PSEG Long Island offers window rebates through its Home Performance program of $4 per square foot for market-rate projects and $8 for "disadvantaged community" or "low/moderate income" customers. Customers must install a wide range of windows, as well as a heat pump, insulation and air sealing to qualify.

Federal and New York State governments have incentives along with income limits and a wide range of factors to qualify.

But, Levy said, "the real incentives are the monthly energy savings you'll be getting in real time from great new energy-efficient windows that are installed properly."

Free energy audits

To give her Levittown Cape a warm atmosphere, Susan Wiskemann adorned her house with ceramic birds, plants, green and red interior walls, red pillows on a couch and a red and white rug.

But Wiskemann, a retired East Meadow resident, also wanted to make her house more energy-efficient and comfortable. She heard PSEG Long Island offers free home energy assessments, identifying ways residents can reduce electricity bills.

"I was focused on being more comfortable and maintaining the house," Wiskemann said. "And the benefits of the program."

As part of energy audits, professionals visit houses, gather data, make recommendations and indicate whether residents qualify for free services through PSEG Long Island's Home Performance program with Energy Star.

"The homeowner pays nothing and finds out exactly what their home has qualified for as far as energy-efficient upgrades, grants, funding programs," said Ferreira, of NYS Energy. "You can help reduce the carbon footprint, conserve our present ecosystem and reduce energy costs."

Ferreira said they look at windows, insulation, appliances, lighting and other things "that affect the home's energy efficiency."

"What's going to be the most cost-effective solution for the homeowner, bring the most savings and the least investment," he said.

Wiskemann had them do an energy audit or assessment of her 1,300-square-foot, two-bedroom home on a nearly 6,000-square-foot lot last winter.

She got more than $4,000 in free insulation and assistance with the help of federal and PSEG incentives through the PSEG Long Island home performance program with Energy Star, but Wiskemann said she "didn't pay a penny."

Home energy audits are free. All you need to do is be a customer and fill out the form online.

"It's much more comfortable," she added. "I had overnight guests who commented about it."

There is a button on the homepage with the link to get started, and an online assessment you can do if you have an account online. There's also an online marketplace including rebates.

PSEG LI also offers enhanced programs for people who qualify due to income.

Higher standards

New 2025 Energy Star ratings, used for federal incentives, are widely considered to be particularly rigorous.

Energy Star-ratings are based on U-factor, or the rate at which windows transmit non-solar heat and solar heat gain. The lower the U-factor, the more energy-efficient a window is.

They call for two panes of double strength glass, thicker than previous glass, that doesn't become concave. "There's a big thing whether windows melt siding," Brett said. "It acts as a magnifying glass when it gets concave. Double strength stays stronger."

Windows with a 2025 Energy Star rating qualify for up to a 30% tax credit (with certain limits) and reduce heating and cooling costs.

Energy Star windows typically cost 30% more, Brett said, but they are few and far between. "Most manufacturers haven't even made windows that can meet that yet," he added. "They have to update their glass, change their factories. Most windows currently are not up to standards for Energy Star."

Brett said about half of windows met the old 2024 rating, but the new 2025 rating is much tougher. "The government says this is the best possible system for your home," Brett said. "They come up with the standards."

Right for the region

The right windows depend on the region, and ratings reflect each region. "The Northeast is one of the harder ones to make," Brett said. "We get hot summers and cold winters."

Most window frames in stores are hollow, which typically won't meet Energy Star 2025 guidelines. And wood conducts cold and heat, which makes it less energy-efficient.

"The frames around our windows are all insulated. If they're sold with insulation, there's thermal break," Brett said. "You don't lose heat in the winter or cool in the summer."

A thermal break, or a thermal barrier, is a material inserted into a window or door frame to stop thermal energy loss, commonly used in aluminum frames, which easily conduct hot and cold.

"The correct windows will be designed for the climate here in the Northeast," Levy said. "Using spray foam and proper sealants will also reduce the drafts and keep that savings coming year after year."

Smart glass

Smart glass detects the sun's angle in the summertime and reflects the heat away, looking like a mirror. "In the winter, it reflects heat into the home," Brett said. "In the summer, it reflects it away."

These windows, Brett added, save the life of your blinds and couches. "Nothing gets faded in your house," he said.

These windows look like a mirror when something called Low-E is being activated, although it doesn't look like that at night.

Low-E or Low-Emissivity glass is energy-efficient glass with a microscopic coating that reflects heat and reduces energy transfer, keeping homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Glass used in the Northeast, Brett said, used to have poor Low-E ratings, because Low-E focused on the summer. Florida windows had high Low-E ratings.

Windows in the North instead would reflect away the sun's heat, while smart glass lets windows adjust to the seasons.

"If you use an upgraded window, you can get smart glass," Brett said. "And it's way more energy-efficient."

Good guarantees

It's wise to take guarantees into account, although exactly what's guaranteed matters as well as how long. Brett's company guarantees workmanship, including thermal breaks, for 50 years.

"On Ultra windows, we guarantee glass, frames, working parts, everything on the window for 50 years," Brett said. "If the glass breaks, we'll cover it."

Levy said that warrantees also say something about a company's confidence in products. The better the warranty, often, can mean the better the product.

"Great products historically have a great warranty," he said. "Read the fine print so you can avoid hidden fees later."