In February the Federal Trade Commission handed down a complaint against five window manufactures for making wildly false claims in their marketing material about expected energy savings from their replacement windows.

This is not to say that you should not pay attention to your windows with an eye toward energy savings and possibly even consider replacing them. But on average most window replacements will reduce overall energy bills less than 5%, not the 50% claimed by some manufactures. But there are other reasons than return on investment that may encourage you to replace your windows. One of those reasons is comfort. Good windows will make your home more comfortable. The other reason is aesthetics. Windows frame the world beyond and should be just as beautiful as your best framed work of art. Indeed, a properly placed window may be your best piece of art. A high quality window will encourage you to open it on a nice day, unlike poor quality windows that must be fought to get them opened and closed. These are good reasons to replace windows, but most people are sold new windows on the idea that they will have a short return on investment, which is seldom the case.