Replace Windows or Not?

ron99999

I live in Scotland in a 30 year old semi detached house with wooden double glazed windows with a gap of 12mm between the glass.

The windows are in good condition, I paint the outside frames about every 5 years, in fact have just finished painting them using Ronseal 10 year woodstain.

Quite a few of my neighbours have replaced their windows with uPVC framed windows and of course my wife is suffering from peer pressure to get ours done, stating how much better the windows look and I wouldn't have to paint them again and how much more comfortable the inside temperature is and how much money we would save in heating etc.

I do realise that we wouldn't save much in heating, we currently use about 10,000 kWh of gas a year for heating out of approx 14,500 kWh gas usage.which includes hot water and cooking

I really need some suggestions and ideas as to why we don't need new windows as against why we should get new windows.

My wife and I are in our 70's and we have the money to pay for the windows because of no holidays, bingo and eating out.

FreeBear

ron99999 said: and how much more comfortable the inside temperature is and how much money we would save in heating etc.

Whilst modern 28mm argon filled sealed units have a better thermal performance that your 12mm units, the savings to be had are not that great. Replacing the sealed units with high performance slimline ones would be more cost effective - Perhaps £80 per window as opposed to £800 including a uPVC frame. As long as your frames are still sound and free from draughts, replacement units might be worth looking at.

TELLIT01

I would question the claim from neighbours that plastic windows look better than well maintained timber - and I have uPVC windows.  If they are sound I wouldn't spend the money replacing them.

stuart45

My wife always seems to want something that friends and neighbours have just had done to the house. Play for time and then something else will probably crop up and the windows will be forgotten.  

Grenage

I can't think of any occasion where I've seen wooden windows and thought "they'd look so much nicer if they were made out of PVC".  I've seen some reasonably nice examples, but old windows always look better.  It's just the hassle of maintenance.

fenwick458

no, keep the wooden ones untill they need replacing. modern PVC stuff won't last as long as what you have in now

TELLIT01

The OP should ask his wife if she would want piles just because her friends have them.