Homeowners in San Antonio and beyond are paying far more than necessary on energy bills because of inefficient windows, according to Gabby and Jonathan, owners of First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors. The couple appeared on The Building Texas Show episode titled “$400 Electric Bill on 2,000 Sq Ft. He Said It's the Windows,” hosted by Justin McKenzie and published September 15, 2026. The conversation, recorded at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show, opened with a striking comparison: a rental under 2,000 square feet running $400 to $500 a month in electricity versus a 3,200 square foot new build in San Antonio costing $150 to $200. Jonathan's diagnosis was blunt: it's the windows.
The episode traces how a husband-and-wife team built a locally owned alternative in a city Gabby calls the home of small businesses, yet where she could not find a single locally owned window shop when she went looking. That gap matters for consumers who may assume that buying a new home or opting for national builders guarantees quality. The couple warns that even million-dollar Toll Brothers homes fitted with Ply Gem windows may not deliver the window quality buyers expect. They also explain how blower door and pressure tests expose air loss through doors and windows, giving homeowners a diagnostic tool beyond guesswork.
For readers, the implications are financial and practical. Jonathan offers a no-tools test: “Just standing next to the window during the summer... if you're feeling that heat come through or if you're feeling that cold front come through, it's probably necessary to get something done.” Gabby described the moment the math clicked after moving into their sunnier, larger new build: “That's like a $300 difference in this bill here. And he was like, it's the windows. And I was like, are you serious?” The couple also cautions against do-it-yourself installations, insisting windows are not a DIY project. They discuss craftsmanship gaps in modern construction, the counterweight-and-rope mechanisms still hiding in 1940s, 50s, and 60s wood windows around San Antonio, and the leak calls that followed heavy rain events, including flooding in Kerrville.
Jonathan, whose father has run a fence, patio cover, and concrete business for more than 30 years, explains why First Choice sells name brands like Andersen and Pella at lower prices: no 75-truck fleet, no 20 offices, and lower marketing overhead. Gabby, who left a corporate learning and development role in multifamily property management to build the back end of the company, frames the mission as keeping home improvement affordable for buyers already stretched by a 30-year mortgage. The company has also expanded from First Choice Window Solutions into siding, sunrooms, fences, and a roofing partnership with Texas Roof Guardians.
The broader significance extends to the local economy and housing affordability. As energy costs remain a persistent household burden, the couple's message underscores that window upgrades can offer measurable savings and that locally owned businesses can provide competitive alternatives to national brands. Homeowners already facing high mortgage payments may find that addressing window inefficiency is one of the most direct ways to reduce recurring costs, while also supporting small businesses in their communities.
