Tightening Old Windows by Walter Jowers Next to putting insulation into the attic, there's no more effective way to save energy in an old house than tightening up the windows. And, there's no more effective way to ugly up an old house than replacing the original windows with a bunch of dowdy, featureless replacement windows. I see a lot of old-house rehabs where the first thing the builder does is snatch out the old windows, tearing up interior and exterior finishes in the process. Then, in go the vinyl-clad thermopanes, and up goes a sign on the lawn that says something like, "Energy-Efficient Design by Window Wizards." The customers want new windows, they say. The old windows were rotting, wouldn't open and
