[Greenbuilding] Green Retrofit Window Options

[Alan Abrams]

     <The main (energy) benefit from replacing a window is the air 
leakage reduction. Home Energy had a nice article some time ago. The non 
energy benefits may include increased comfort, operation, reduced fading 
and maintenance.>

a further benefit from deciding to toss the sashes from any house from the
early sixties or before is the likelihood that they will be coated with lead
based paint.  Raising and lowering the sashes abrades the paint and results
in fine toxic dust on the sills and floors.  It's diabolically difficult to
strip the sashes and tracks; alternately, if the old paint is merely
encapsulated with new layers of paint, the accumulated layers cause the
sashes to jam.    

Alan Abrams