Are High Quality Windows Worth the Cost?
Is your Money Flying out the Window?
What are Low E Coatings?
All Low E Windows are Not Created Equal
Window Styles
A Closer Look at a Simonton Vinyl Replacement Window
Glossary of Terms
Are High Quality Windows Worth the Cost?
Anyone who has lived with low quality -- or poorly installed -- windows can attest to the problems they can cause. Walls and floors suffer damage from dampness. Fabrics fade. Energy costs skyrocket. A home built with mediocre 
windows to shave upfront 
costs can turn into a big ticket headache for buyers and builders in the long run. On the other hand, the finest quality windows, correctly installed by trained professionals, pay for themselves over and over by saving money on energy bills, sparing damage to interiors and maintaining ease of operation throughout their lifetime. Studies have shown that over 40% of a typical home's annual energy budget is consumed by windows and doors. High quality windows and doors with Low E coatings and insulating gasses are twice as efficient as those manufactured just ten years ago, and they are 40% more efficient than products manufactured using common building code guidelines.
Many buyers don't realize this until after they've moved in. When they're making the decisions that will affect the quality of their home, buyers rarely focus on windows. And the few who do usually don't know how to weigh the added quality against the added cost. According to Big Builder Magazine, the finest quality windows and installation can cost up to 15 percent more than the low-quality counterparts, but are worth every bit of the added cost (Publication 2003-09-24). Back to top
This is an infrared photograph. The closer to red an area is, the more heat radiating out from it.
Is your Money Flying out the Window?
Windows bring light, warmth, and beauty into buildings and give a feeling of openness and space to living areas. They can also be major sources of heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. In 1990 alone, the energy used to offset unwanted heat losses and gains through windows in residential and commercial buildings cost the United States $20 billion (one-fourth of all the energy used for space heating and cooling). However, when properly selected and installed, windows can help minimize a home's heating, cooling, and lighting costs.
Double- or triple-pane windows have insulating air- or gas-filled spaces between each pane. Each layer of glass and the air spaces resist heat flow. The width of the air spaces between the panes is important, because air spaces that are too narrow (less than 1/2 inch or 1.3 centimeters) have lower R-values (i.e., they allow too much heat transfer). Advanced, multi-pane windows are now manufactured with inert gases (argon or krypton) in the spaces between the panes because these gases transfer less heat than air.
Energy efficient windows save a lot of money. By minimizing air leakage and improving thermal performance of your windows, you could reduce heat loss through windows by up to 50 percent and reduce your energy bills.
Energy efficient windows increase the comfort level in your home by reducing cold drafts and making a house feel warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. They help control condensation because the interior surfaces of energy-efficient windows stay warmer, allowing you to maintain a higher level of humidity without worrying about condensation on your windows.
They also last longer because condensation can cause premature deterioration of windows, walls and finishes leading to high maintenance and replacement costs. Back to top