Energy Efficient Windows: What Makes A Window “Energy-Efficient”? | Fort Worth, TX
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If you are building a new house or looking for replacement windows for your old house in Fort Worth, TX, you have probably been advised to invest in energy efficient windows. While you certainly know that these windows should ideally help you spend less on heating and cooling your house, you probably don’t know what an energy-efficient window is and how you can identify one. While the benefits of investing in these windows may be obvious to many people, the things that make a window energy-efficient are not always obvious to all homeowners. Below are some features you should consider for you to determine if a window is energy-efficient or not.
The Frame Material
The frame is one of the most important parts of a window. Some common frame materials used in energy efficient windows include fiberglass, vinyl, aluminum, and wood, among others. The energy efficiency of windows can vary depending on the type and the quality of material used to make its frame. For instance, Vinyl windows frames, in addition to being quite aesthetically appealing, have better insulating properties than wood and aluminum. However, for a vinyl window frame to help you improve your home’s energy efficiency for many years, it has to be of high quality. This is because a window frame of poor-quality vinyl might sag with time and eventually allow drafts into your home, forcing your HVAC system to work harder than it should and consume more energy than necessary. Therefore, in addition to picking a window made of an appropriate kind of frame material, you also need to ensure that the material is of the right quality to guarantee energy efficiency in your house.
Multiple Layers of Glass Windowpanes
Windowpanes are the sheets of glass attached to a window to protect the interior of the house from external elements, such as wind, rain, snow, and heat, without hindering visibility and natural lighting. Common windows have a single layer of glass, while energy efficient windows have two or three layers of glass. In other words, these windows are either double-pane windows or triple-pane windows. The more layers of glass, the higher the efficiency. Therefore, if you would like to maximize your home’s energy efficiency, then you should start thinking of investing in triple-pane windows. Although these windows are relatively heavier, their weight does not negatively affect the ease of using them. Besides, in addition to helping you make significant savings on the amount of energy you need to run your HVAC system, triple pane windows will offer more security and last longer than other kinds of windows.
Gas Fills
As mentioned above, windows with multiple layers of glass are known to be more energy efficient compared to be windows with a single layer of glass. But for these windows to serve their purpose even more effectively, the spaces between the sheets of glass should be filled with a heavy gas, such as Argon or Krypton. These gasses are colorless, odorless, and non-toxic, and therefore, they do not pose any safety concern in your house, and nobody will even notice that they are there. It is worth noting that the gasses are heavier than air, and they have to be inserted between the sheets of glass after the air has been vacuumed. In addition to being heavier than air, Argon and Krypton have relatively better insulating properties than air. So, if you are looking for energy efficient windows, you have to ensure that spaces between the multiple layers of glass are filled with Argon or Krypton.
Low-E Glass Coating
The glass alone cannot prevent heat from getting in and out of your house. Therefore, for windows to be energy efficient, they need to have a Low-E coating to reflect UV light and Infrared light. Low-E basically means low emissivity. A Low-E glass coating is basically a thin layer of metallic coating that is placed on the inner side of the exterior windowpane. During summer, this coating should prevent the heat outside your house from getting into your house. During winter, the coating will prevent the heat inside your home from escaping. Therefore, Low-E coating on your energy efficient windows will make it easier for your HVAC system to achieve your ideal temperatures no matter how hot or cold the weather gets.
Proper Installation
Of course, energy efficient windows are more expensive than ordinary windows. Unfortunately, no matter how much money you spend on buying new energy efficient windows, they will be useless if installed improperly. In other words, the performance of these windows and the effect they will have on your home’s energy efficiency will significantly depend on how they are installed. Your windows need to be of the right size, and the areas between their frames your home’s frames should be insulated properly. Besides, your windows should close and open easily. As such, you need to ensure that you work with an experienced windows expert, such as Energy Window Solutions, to ensure that your energy efficient windows are installed correctly.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it is apparent that for a window to be termed as energy efficient, there are several conditions it must meet. For instance, it must be made of a high-quality framing material with high insulative properties. Besides, it should have multiple layers of glass with the spaces in between filled with heavy gas, such as Krypton or Argon. Last but not least, energy efficient windows must be installed correctly for them to serve their purpose. If you are looking for a reliable windows expert to guide you on getting the best windows for your house in Fort Worth, TX, Energy Window Solutions is an excellent company to consider. Feel free to contact us today for more information about our company and services.