Energy-Efficient Windows
An excellent way to cut your energy costs this winter and during the summer is to replace your home’s windows with more energy-efficient windows. Home Doors and Windows is a leader in the window industry and offers a wide range of high-quality vinyl windows for homeowners – please contact us if you need help selecting new windows for your home or you have windows you would like to have repaired.
Why Get Energy-Efficient Windows?
Windows generally allow a lot of heat to enter or leave your home, which naturally increases your heating or cooling bills at various points of the year. Installing new energy-efficient windows won’t necessarily pay for itself immediately but you should see a drop in your energy costs right away and your home in general should be a lot more comfortable.
How Will Energy-Efficient Windows Help?
Windows transfer heat in and out of your home through 4 different processes: leakage, radiation, convection and conduction.
Leakage: The most common source of heat loss or gain – air slips through the cracks around the window if it is not sealed tightly.
Radiation: Heat moves through the window as infrared energy
Convection: The window pulls heat from the air surrounding it, which results in cool air sinking to the ground and causing a draft.
Conduction: The window passes heat directly through the panes.
An energy-efficient window prevents heat transfer through the window in a number of different ways. The most common design uses a double-paned setup with gas trapped between the two panes and a heat-reflecting coating on the outside of the window. The gas is usually argon or nitrogen, which don’t transfer heat very well and this combined with the double panes and low-E coating prevents a lot of heat coming through the windows either from inside or outside. Depending on where you actually live, you may find that a different design works better for your particular needs.
Which Energy-Efficient Windows To Buy?
Depending on the climate you live in, you will want to look at the window’s U-factor, which measures the window’s insulating capabilities – and the solar heat gain coefficient, which measures how much heat is allowed inside your home. Windows with a lower U-factor are ideal for colder climates but the solar heat gain coefficient should be higher. For a hotter climate, you will want to look at the solar heat gain coefficient instead – the U-factor is much less important.
