Kansas City MO · Member since 2014 · 357 posts · 349 votes
For those of you who have fully replaced old windows & installed new ones in your personal or rental properties I’m curious what percentage it reduced your utility bills.
I have an apartment unit that has 15 large old windows and has been getting high electric bills (electric furnace and no dishwasher or washer/dryer and temp set at 70) and I’m wondering if it’s worthwhile to replace the old windows. Curious the reduction in people’s bills after full window replacement on their older properties.
Rental Property Investor · Olympia, WA · Member since 2014 · 777 posts · 744 votes
7y
@Laura Williams This isn’t a yes or no answer. There are other considerations as well. I replaced 60 windows on a 1940’s Apartment. I wasn’t paying their power bill HOWEVER, the old windows got massive condensation on the inside which rotted out the window sills and walls below the windows - which I do pay for! Also I get better tenants now because the building looks and functions better.
Also I was able to refinance after my remodel (which include other items as well) and took cash out for my next deal.
I also have a duplex with older windows (1970’s). When I did a rent increase that was the #1 response, “Are we getting new windows for the increased rent?” I will eventually replace those just to upgrade the building. Again, better quality, better tenant, better rent.
Rental Property Investor · Altoona, PA · Member since 2018 · 14 posts · 11 votes
7y
@Laura Williamsy
At our personal home we have electric heat as well and it is a higher form of heating especially in Pa where it is very cold in the winters. However what we do with our electric company is have a fixed budget all year around. So instead of 600$ in the cold months we pay 220 all year around and we can plan/budget it a little better. You could possibly suggest that to your tenants so they don't get over the top electric bills. Just a thought, hope it helps.
Hey Laura I’m a hvac contractor in Oklahoma. It might be in your best interest to have a reliable hvac contractor in your area asses this situation. Chances are if a bill is running that high it usually indicates excessive run time of the heater. On electric heaters they tend to have multiple heating elements. If all elements are not working this will lead to poor heat output and extended run times. That’s what I would look into in my opinion. Good luck!
@Shawn M. from talking to the electric company it appears the bills drastically drop in the summer ....which would make me think they aren’t paying for upstairs. I’m thinking something with the heating or HVAC is probably the makority of the problem. The electric company told me the highest past bill there was $630 which is just insane for a 2 bedroom apartment and higher than what the whole apartment rents for.
Check your basement or crawlspace. It is likely draughty and uninsulated. Air sealing the basement - particularly along the sill and around any fenestration - will have the biggest bang-for-your-buck and makes for an easy DIY.
Depending on construction of your foundation, and whether the basement is conditioned, you may benefit from insulating it.
If your basement is conditioned space (heated - either directly or indirectly (i.e. the boiler, furnace lives there), then you will want to insulate the perimeter of the basement. This is best done externally ... which also happens to be the most expensive option. Alternatively, you can insulate the walls from the inside, but the "how" depends on the type of foundation {too much, or the wrong kind, of insulation on the inside of rubble, brick or older block foundations can lead to freeze/thaw damage in the foundation walls themselves}.
If your basement is unconditioned, you can insulate the underside of the first floor (basement ceiling). When taking this approach, you need to ensure your floor/ceiling assembly can dry and that you do not cause condensation on the underside of the first floor sub-floor.
If would suggest finding a contractor familiar with improving the building envelope (air sealing and insulation) for buildings the vintage of yours as applying techniques used for modern construction on older buildings that were not designed to be bottle tight, may require additional measures to avoid inadvertent - and undesirable - outcomes.
I am a tenant and have been renting from various places (single-family) for years. Every place I move into I end up installing the Gila window films. When I lived in Phoenix the installation paid for itself in 2 months.
Property Manager · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
@Laura Williams
100% your furnace. Replace with heat pump or gas ASAP. We managed a property that was a one bedroom and the bill was $800 in January. Rent was $675. They moved out and didn’t pay either bill.
I want to thank everyone for all their feedback. This thread has taught me so much about energy conservation and so many great info and ideas. I had an HVAC guy come out today to look at the furnace and one of the 2 heaters on it wasn't working which he fixed. He thinks it will make a big difference on the bill as he said it had just been running constantly cause it only had one heater working on it. Apparently that is common thing to happen on an electric furnace which I just learned. I'm still going to take the suggestions on here to seal everything and the windows, doors and basement insulation and see what happens on the next bill...fingers crossed.
Great news... Hopefully the repair wasn’t too expensive, definitely seems worth it though. How did your tenant take the news that high bill was due to a broken furnace?
Investor · FL · Member since 2017 · 266 posts · 220 votes
7y
@Laura Williams
Here in south Florida FPL does free assesments for efficiency. I dont know if there is a similar service from the utility company in your area. They check insulation, appliances, areas letting the elements in etc.
I avoid replacing windows as they can get expensive. If I do replace, i like to piggy back it with other work to reduce cost. GOOD sealant goes a long way.
Kansas City MO · Member since 2014 · 357 posts · 349 votes
7y
@Robert S. I was lucky in that the HVAC guy is friends with the maintenance guy at my PM so it was $75 to check the HVAC. They seem to think that the one burner not working was a big deal cause the furnace was running constantly & never cutting off. They also found some duct work that wasn't attached and blowing hot air in the basement that they reattached. Guess I'll see on the next bill.
I did find out that because it's a 5 plex I can not put a gas furnace in there as it's against code...I would have to add furnaces to all the other units (the other 4 have baseboard heat) as a 5 plex they are suppose to each have their own furnaces is the code supposedly..what they tell me? I could probably still get someone on the down low to replace that electric one with gas if the bill is still crazy next month. But lesson learned is that I will NEVER buy a place that has electric heat again unless the house/apartment is really small. I knew electric heat was more expensive than gas but I didn't know how much more until now.
Just wanted to say thank you so much and awesome tip on getting the lower electric rate. I just called the electric company and there is a lower rate if electric is the primary source of heat and no gas.
Contractor · Milltown, NJ · Member since 2016 · 297 posts · 213 votes
7y
@Laura Williams
Seems like you are good to go, disconnected dust work and nonfunctioning coil will certainly jack up the electric bill. You’ll find out for sure when your tenant receives the bill in February.
Rental Property Investor · CA · Member since 2018 · 225 posts · 180 votes
7y
You’re welcome! That’s great news.
I recommend anyone reading this to call their local utility if they have primary heat as an electric source of heat to see if they get a lower hourly rate too!