Home Improvement News Bureau

The Word On Windows

Clear Solutions on Making Your Home More Energy Efficient

MONEY PIT NEWS BUREAU – August 13, 2004:  What’s a window worth?  Windows add style and beauty to your home, boost resale value and provide daylight.

But are your windows really costing you money by allowing cold air in during winter months and out during hot summer days?  This inefficiency not only delivers higher energy bills, it also creates an uncomfortable home year-round.

Tom Kraeutler, home improvement expert and host of the nationally syndicated Money Pit Home Improvement Radio suggests taking a good look at your windows if you want to reduce the heating and cooling costs in your home.

“If you notice any leaking, sticking, loose glass or drafts, your windows need attention,” says Kraeutler.  “An easy test is to hold a lighted candle or piece of tissue in front of your windows on a breezy day.  If it flutters, you have drafts.  But, you can replace loose or damaged weather stripping fairly easy and inexpensively, and you can caulk any drafts around the window frame. 

Kraeutler warns that loose glass or deteriorating frames are much more serious problems.   He says the cost to repair them might be less in the short-term but that replacing the windows with energy efficient models is a smarter decision in the long run.

Debby Robinson, Kraeutler’s co-host on the program which is broadcast to more than 100 radio stations each weekend, explains that windows with double pane low-E coatings pay for themselves over their lifespan and make your home more comfortable. 

“Low-E windows have thin transparent coatings that allow light to pass through but reflect heat energy, keeping your home cooler,” she explains. “Different coatings are used and applied differently depending on if you live in a warmer weather or colder weather climate.  Such coatings improve the insulating value of window about as much as adding another pane of glass.”

For example, Kraeutler says, the Woodright double-hung window from Andersen features High-Performance Low-E glass that is 35 percent more energy efficient than dual-pane glass in winter and 41 percent more efficient in summer.

Combining the low-E coatings with gas fillings such as argon or krypton increases the energy efficiency even more. Other characteristics to look for in energy efficient windows include multiple layers of glazing, thickness of air-space, low-conductivity gas fill, and tinted glass coatings.

Two other important factors are the U-factor and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient.  The lower the U-factor, the better the window insulates.  The SHGC describes the solar-heat gain.  A low SHGC can reduce air-conditioning bills and is desirable in warmer climates, while a higher SHGC is better in the North.

And then there’s the frame, too.

 “Remember that a good frame improves energy efficiency and reduces maintenance,” offers Robinson. ”Wood is the most popular medium used, including vinyl-clad and aluminum –clad wood frames.  Those that are clad are the easiest to maintain.  Vinyl windows are energy-efficient, durable, rot-proof and insect-proof, and energy-efficient, too.  The downside is that it does fade and becomes brittle with age.  Fiber-glass and aluminum-frames are also available.

“A great resource for windows is the Andersen® Windows web site (www.andersen.com),” notes Kraeutler.  “The website offers assistance in many areas including problems and answers and provides a great deal of education on windows and styles.  It also walks you through the steps of determining what type of windows you want and how you can change the look of your home.”

In fact, Andersen Windows is the first company to certify its products on a national scale with the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). NFRC labels are on every product, allowing consumers to easily compare energy-efficient values for windows like they are able to with home appliances.  The NFRC is an independent, non-profit organization that provides uniform testing, rating and certification.  The rating program takes several variables into account including energy transfer at the center of the glass, edge effect, the insulating value of the frame material, unit size, inside/outside temperatures, wind velocity and solar heat transmittance.

So before your energy bills get you down, take a good look at your windows instead of through them – the problem might be right before your eyes.

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