Fall is here and winter is up next, are your windows ready for it? If they aren't or you aren't sure if they are, you still have time to make sure that they are.

But, what do you do first?Spot Check Your Louisville Windows FirstThe first thing to do to make sure that your windows are ready for the winter is to check your windows for any damage that may have happened over the last year. You are looking for breaks in the glass, gaps where it looks like there shouldn't be one, and water damage around the window.The windows that have this damage are the ones that you will want to contact a professional to fix first.Energy Loss Assessment SecondIf you didn’t find any damage on or around your windows that needed to be fixed or you have fixed the damage that you found, it is now time for an energy assessment. Energy assessments can usually be scheduled through your utility company for free.With an energy assessment, a walk-through is done of your home and you are told what around your home needs to be fixed to increase the energy efficiency of the home. It could be that you have gaps in your windows that you can’t see, that your attic needs additional insulation, or any number of other things that are causing the heat in your home to escape during the winter where it shouldn’t be.Once the assessment is done you will know exactly what needs to be done for your home, instead of guessing at what needs to be done to help make your home more energy efficient.Finally, Switch to Energy-Efficient WindowsIf you don’t already have energy-efficient windows, this will be one of the things that come up during your assessment.Energy-efficient windows are a strong weapon to have in your fight against higher energy bills during the winter because of how great of a job they do to prevent airflow. They are designed to keep the cold out of the house and the heated air inside the house. If the cold air isn’t getting in, and the heated air isn’t getting out then your heater doesn’t have to continuously be heating the house. And a heater that isn’t working all the time doesn’t generate as high of a power bill.So before the fall comes to an end start your pre-winter inspection of your Louisville windows, that way you will have time to make any repairs or schedule for a replacement window to be installed before the winter gets here.