We suggest Simonton Vinyl Replacement windows to all our customers. They are very energy efficient and work flawlessly. I will show a customer a lot of the times how I can open the window with ease with my pinky finger. It's hard to say how much you will save on your energy bill. There are a lot of factors involved. If you currently have a well insulated home and low energy bill you probably won't save that much. If your home isn't that well insulated and large energy bills it will show up more there. I use the example of my grandfather alot. He replaced his windows with Simonton about 10-15 years ago. They have a small 3 bedroom ranch and were having utility bills of $3-400 a month. They replaced the windows and the bill came down to $100 a month. If you are having a hard time keeping your rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter, you will see a drastic difference in your comfort level along with the power bill. Another reason we offer Simonton is the affordability. We typically install a 5050 replacement window turnkey around $400 per window. Of course there are reasons this can go up, but typical install is on average this price. I would suggest going to simonton.com and searching for an experienced installer in your area. Hope this helps! Good luck with your search. 

Windows and doors are the largest culprit in lost of energy efficiency. It may not be the cheapest option but will provide you with the largest impact.

Here's the scoop:

It all depends on your usage and how much room you have for panels, but we routinely knock out 100% of our clients' electricity bills.

However, the system will almost certainly be what we call "grid-tied", meaning that you will still be connected to your utility. This is important as solar tends not to work so well at night. So what will happen is you will produce more during the day than you need, pouring the extra power back into your utility and running up a credit, essentially using the utility like a "power bank". You then pull power from the "bank" at night. Note that this may happen on a daily level, or over the year, with your system producing a net surplus some months, and using that surplus in months where production is less.

The upshot is that, while your net consumption of power from your utility over the year may be zero (or close to zero), you will still "need...power from your local power company" in order to compensate for variances in solar production.

In addition, different financing methods may work best with different production goals, due to the way your utility prices the power you use, i.e. in a tier structure, versus how your solar is financed. This is a bit more complicated, but I'd be happy to walk you through it if you want to give me a call - John Cook, (888) 603-4255.

I hope that wasn't too technical or convoluted, but I wanted to make sure you had the facts. Good luck!

GAVIGAN HOMES// Go 15 Seer minimum and check your duct work. Metal boxes instead of fiber board are huge mold mitigation upgrades. Get a blower door test 

The answer to this question is directly related to the climate that you live in.  The major window manufacturers offer glazing that is designed for the solar heat gain and temperatures in the various climate zones. You can obtain information either through a reputable window company in your area or by visting the websites of national window companies such as Anderson, Pella, Milguard, etc.

All of the answers given were great options. There are many, many ways to improve a home's energy efficiency. As we are a siding and window company, my focus will be on those areas. Windows are a huge energy loss/gain. Did you know that windows and doors account for approximately 50% of your heating/cooling loss? Air leaks around a window or door due to a crack of 1/16" of an inch is like having a hole in your wall the size of a brick. In the average home, that is equal to about 15 bricks. Consider how large that "hole" is in your home. The glass package is the most important thing to consider when replacing windows. Most folks just look at the cost of the window and install, and some smoke and mirrors some companies like to drag on about. A smart homeowner knows what Low-E is, what a good U-Factor rating is, whether or not it's single, double or triple pane glass, etc. etc. Same features apply to most doors. Lastly, siding is another area where a homeowner can save money. Check into insulated siding. Check to see what kind of underlayment is being applied to your home. Many companies don't even put a housewrap on to save cost and the average homeowner never knows. Make sure you only hire someone who is appropriately licensed and insured. Ask to see those documents. Hope this helps folks looking to replace siding, windows or doors! Happy remodeling!

While adding PV panels is a noble endeavor, it is unlikely to produce more than about one third of your annual electrical requirements.  Less than that, if you have air conditioning, even in a newly built, energy efficient home.  The financial savings, though, will continue to climb over time, as more dams and coal power are elliminated, and the cost of generation climbs steeply.  The payback time will shorten, and the lifecycle of the panels will net a return toward the rest of the power you use.

Step one, if you have siding use a insulated vinyl siding with silica gel. Replace your windows with a double or triple insulated window system. And third your doors are very important. When you do replacement anything you want the doors and windows to fit the space perfectly. We can do these things and more at Jarrett Industries.

With anything like this, I hate to be the first especially with this manufacturer. They brought out the Nest smoke detector and it get recalled.  I would rather wait  and watch the press and blogs and when the dust clears and all is good then starting specifiing them. 

Phililp Anderson

Berkeley CA

Based on the information found via the internet, I believe the difference in siding materials depends a lot on where you live and what kind of climate you experience year round for your location. I'm including a link here that shows what one inventive father did with his children to promote education in understanding their climate of California. It's a very good way of finding out the semantics of a product while spending quality time bonding with your children. Best of all, he's done the difficult work of figuring out which materials stand up to severe climate changes for you!

http://www.3ghomeimprovements.com/2017/06/james-hardie-fiber-cement-vs-lp-smartside-vs-insulated-vinyl-siding/

Installing ductless system is the best way to cool down a hot room. An HVAC system is mainly designed for providing and maintaining thermal comfort and maintaining indoor air quality. Refer to ductless AC installation NJ professionals to help you choose the best equipment to make your home a comfortable place to live in.

I would recommend starting with making sure all the existing windows and securely closed and locked.  I find windows partly open because they have been painted that way.  Take some time to make sure each window closes properly add weather stripping as needed.

Add wather stripping to all doors

check that all the heating ducts are connected securely

Christofer, There is a lot written about your particular condition. What I would do would be to install a spray polyurethane insulation (closed cell insulation) into the attic ceiling and down to and including the eaves. this installed over a 1/4" plywood that would be "cleated" down at a minimum of 1" below the bottom of the roof sheathing, thus eliminating the "hot roof" situation. As far as moisture... if you understand that warm air rises and carries the moisture up (another reason i would use a closed cell product) then it makes sense to foam any walls or kneewalls as well. The venting on the top side would not be to eliminate any interior moisture, but to make your shingles last longer (keep them from overheating). Quite a few asphalt companies have disclaimers on warrantees because of this issue. You would need to check with your steel roof manufacturer how they respond to a hot roof application. 

Ok so you don't really want all that moisture collecting on your windows and or finished wall substrates in the attic. So an ERV/HRV or even the furnace fan run continuously would help distrubute or evacute the excess moisture if this is your main house furnace (air handler). FYI- change filters monthly in these systems to help mitigate possible mold issues. I recommend the 6" combustion air (bringing in dry outside air) code required in IRC. I am not sure if this furnace unit in your attic is the primary furnace (air handler) for the home. If so that would help distribute attic moisture to the lower parts of the home. If separate attic unit only, I'm not thinking it will ever distribute moist warm air to the lower level like you suggest.

Remember this... once you start changing the function of your home's ventilation/conditioned or unconditioning of a space you will be changing the whole dynamics of how the house used to function. Henceforth do your homework. All this said...I run my company business in the extreme temperature zone of Minnesota. Your local heating guys should have a better handle on providing a safe living environment for your family. Mold can be a serious issue.