I'm another one with a before-and-after story. My house is in Largo, built in 2004. We couldn't afford to do all windows at once, so last summer we replaced just the south-facing windows (the ones getting blasted by sun). Even with only half the windows done, we felt a change. The bedrooms on that side of the house were significantly cooler and our evening AC cycles shortened a bit. It definitely convinced us to finish the rest of the windows. We plan to tackle the remaining ones later this year, budget permitting. Honestly, seeing the partial improvement makes me eager to get it all done! 😊
@carolcosplayer We did all of our windows in one go, but I have a neighbor who split the project into two phases like you're doing. One thing that helped them was using the PACE financing program (so they could pay through their property taxes over time). If budget is a concern, that might be worth looking into. But if you can swing it, doing the whole house at once is ideal so you immediately stop all the leaks and hot spots. Either way, even with half your windows upgraded, it sounds like you're already feeling a positive difference. Good luck finishing the rest!
Hi all – checking in from Dunedin. My home was built in 2001 near the coast. The salt air was wreaking havoc on our old aluminum window frames (constant corrosion and the sliders would stick). This past spring, we replaced everything with vinyl-framed impact windows. We went with Karoly Windows & Doors out of Clearwater, since they're familiar with coastal installs. Let me tell you, it's a huge improvement.
No more salt crust or rust on the frames, and the new glass has a Low-E coating that keeps out the heat. Even on hot afternoons, our living room stays much cooler than before. Also, during those afternoon thunderstorms, we hear a lot less noise from the wind and rain on the windows. Plus, I have peace of mind now for hurricane season. All in all, a big upgrade for us coastal folks!
Thanks everyone! Hearing these stories is really motivating. I'm going to start getting quotes as suggested (I'll definitely reach out to the companies you all have recommended, like Karoly Windows & Doors and ProTech Windoors). So far this thread has given me a ton of useful info to go into the process with. I'll let you know what I end up deciding!
@mbrown43 Awesome, good luck with the quotes! Keep us posted on what you find and decide. Glad this thread could help. 🙂
Hi all, jumping in with a question. I live in Riverview and my house was built in 2018, so the windows are not that old. They are double-pane, but I suspect they're just the basic ones the builder put in (probably not the best for efficiency). During summer, our AC still struggles, especially in the rooms with big windows.
Do you think upgrading windows in a relatively newer home is worth it? I mean, my windows are only 7 years old, but Florida heat is Florida heat. I'm wondering if anyone with a newer-ish house (like built in the last 10-15 years) went ahead and replaced their windows and saw noticeable improvements in comfort or bills. I don't want to spend a fortune if it's only a minor improvement. Any insight would be appreciated!
@tech905 I was in a similar boat. My home in FishHawk Ranch (Lithia) was built in 2015, so the windows were fairly new and double-pane, but honestly they were just the basic builder grade. Last year I decided to upgrade them anyway – partly for better efficiency, but also I wanted impact glass for storm peace of mind. I used a local company (not one of the big names here) and got high-quality low-E impact windows installed. Even though my old windows weren’t terrible, I still noticed a difference immediately.
The house cools down faster and stays cooler. My electric bill dropped maybe around 10% in the summer, which isn’t huge but it’s something. More importantly, the comfort level improved – the hot spots by our big living room windows are gone. And knowing the glass can withstand storms helps me sleep better when we have hurricane warnings. So yes, in my experience, it was worth doing even in a newer home. If your current windows are doing a poor job against the heat, upgrading could definitely help.
@lindafisher438 Thanks for sharing that. It's encouraging to know even a newer home like yours saw benefits. I'm leaning towards doing it now, especially since I plan to stay in this house long-term. Appreciate the insight!
I'll add my experience here too. I have a home in Westchase (Tampa) built in 2012. You'd think a 2012 house would already have decent windows, but ours were pretty mediocre double-pane without any special coatings. We replaced them this year with new Energy Star rated windows (also went for impact glass just to tick that box). We actually used ProTech Windoors for the install, and they were excellent. Even though our house is relatively young, we still noticed improvements.
The most obvious one: no more glare and heat blasting through our living room windows in the late afternoon. We used to have to keep the blinds closed; now we can keep them open and the room stays comfortable. Our AC runtime has definitely gone down – I can see on my smart thermostat that the system runs fewer minutes each hour than it did before. And a nice bonus: our hardwood floors and furniture aren't fading near the windows anymore, since the new glass blocks the UV. So in a nutshell, even for a house under 15 years old, upgrading windows made a lot of sense for us.
This is all great info! Quick question: has anyone tried using those reflective window films or tint as a cheaper alternative to replacing the windows? My home is in South Tampa (built 2008) and the windows are double-pane but clear glass. I've been debating whether to put a UV/heat film on them or just bite the bullet and replace the windows entirely.
Obviously new windows would be better, but the cost difference is huge. If anyone has done window film, did it make a noticeable difference in temperature or bills? Or is it just a band-aid?