Yes, there are plenty of other measures you can take to make your home more efficient. When it comes to energy use, your home is an interconnected system where several components may be interacting together to create inefficiency. For example, insulation and air sealing go hand in hand where the insulation acts as a sweater and air sealing acts as a wind breaker – you’ll want both to stay comfortable in the winter time.

Because each home has unique energy efficiency needs, the best way to know for sure is to get an in-home energy audit. In the meantime, you can try out our online energy audit estimator to get an idea of how well your home is performing in terms of efficiency, a few upgrade suggestions and an estimate of how much money you can save.

If you decide new energy-efficient windows are a good upgrade for your home despite the upfront cost, be sure to purchase ENERGY STAR windows with a U factor and SHGC of 0.3 or less to ensure that you are eligible for the federal efficiency tax credit. This energy credit is designed to cover 30 percent up to $1,500 of the cost of windows as well as other upgrades such as insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, HVAC upgrades and more.