While we would like to replace them -  the ecoENERGY retrofitting rebate from the government is not very much ($80 per rough opening). And our home auditor told us that new windows don’t really bring much energy savings in terms of lower heating bills.

Since this winter is so ridiculously mild (NO SNOW and it’s almost February!) we just went around and sealed the old windows on the main floor and basement, like we have other winters. (Shown here is one of our basement windows with its 50-year-old single-pane glass.)

We bought a window-sealer kit at our local hardware store: plastic wrap (thin, like Saran-Wrap) and double-sided tape. You put tape on the window frame, attach plastic to the tape, and then use your hair dryer to shrink the plastic so there aren’t ripples in it.

All the main floor windows aren’t done yet (only the huge front bay window in the livingr00m) but we don’t have the same sense of urgency we have in past winters… Because our newly insulated main floor walls are making the rooms toastier. No more wind whistling through the plaster to make our guests shiver, with us running to jack up the thermostat! And our new EnergyStar steel front door had made the front hall warmer, too!

Maybe next year – but in time to meet our specific deadline of Feb. 2011 – we will purchase new EnergyStar qualified windows and have them installed on the main floor. But as mentioned, at only $80 each in combined fed and provincial rebates, that grand total of $640 won’t make much of a dent in the thousands they will cost.

Sigh… We call this “Heather’s door” because it is Heather’s dream to bring light into our coffin-like kitchen with virtually no light from the small, west-facing window. But, when you open the front door, which opens into the kitchen, sunlight pours into the kitchen, transforming it into a warm, inviting place.

Our official Home Energy Audit report says the following about the priority we should give to our windows and doors as part of our green retrofits.

Windows and Doors:

• Replace 9 windows with models that are ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $360
• Replace 2 exterior doors with a model that is ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $80
  Potential Rating Improvement: 1.2 points for ALL 9 windows and 2 doors

A mere drop in the bucket this is: $440 in incentives/rebates, and a measly 1.2 EnerGuide points…. when you consider the fact that more than $10,000 in rebates is available, and that we need to gain 21 EnerGuide points to qualify for those rebates!

On top of that, the energy auditor who visited our home told us that a new door won’t save a lot in energy bills during the course of a year, either.

But hey, what about quality of life? What if Heather’s door makes Heather a nicer person to live with?! That’s gotta be worth a lot of points in someone’s books.