Top Considerations Before Buying Energy-Efficient Windows in Flower Mound
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Energy-efficient windows are essential for regulating indoor temperatures. These windows don’t only allow natural light into our homes, but also block the harmful UV rays from causing damage to us.
Having energy-efficient windows in Flower Mound can help homeowners conserve energy consumption and save money on energy bills. However, selecting windows that can suit your home’s needs is not easy.
Here we will discuss the most important considerations when buying energy-efficient windows that suit Flower Mound’s climate. Look out for the following key elements in an energy-efficient window in Flower Mound.
Choosing Window Frames
Frames play a useful role in determining the energy efficiency of windows in Flower Mound. These frames are typically made from different materials. However, the most common ones include wood, vinyl, aluminum and fiberglass.
Aluminum frames are very popular for windows in Flower Mound, especially for modern houses. However, these frames are not highly effective when it comes to conserving energy.
When it comes to energy-efficiency, fiberglass frames are slightly better than aluminum. On the other hand, wood and vinyl are more efficient than both aluminum and fiberglass frames. However, wooden frames have a greater appeal as they provide a unique look to windows.
But it’s also true that the wooden window frames are also more difficult to make. Thus, they are costlier than the vinyl frames. Since both frames offer the same kind of energy-efficiency, your choice of the window frame will depend on how much you want to invest in aesthetics.
Window Glasses for Energy-Efficiency
Glasses are the most vulnerable part of a window when it comes to heat reduction. Hence, your choice of the window glass plays a vital in determining the energy-efficiency of your window in Flower Mound.
You should remember the following factors when choosing the glass for your windows in Flower Mound:
Visible transmission (VT)
Visible transmission stands for the amount of sunlight that enters your home through the window glass. Window glasses with a high VT value allow a higher amount of daylight into homes.
These glasses help homeowners illuminate their homes during daytime and minimize the need for electrical lights. As a result, homeowners don’t have to waste energy in lighting their homes. We recommend our readers to choose windows that have a VT value between 60% and 80%. Doing so will help them conserve energy.
U-value
The U-value of any window material indicates how much heat transfer it allows. This means that the U-value of your window glass determines how much heat will transfer through your windows in Flower Mound.
If you’re wondering whether heat can enter your home when the window is closed, then yes, it can. Natural factors, such as convection, radiation, and conduction allow heat to transfer from the outside to homes.
Therefore, it’s important to choose a window that doesn’t allow heat to pass through your window. When choosing windows in Flower Mound, look for a window that has a low U-value. Windows with a low U-value can block maximum heat from entering your home.
Doing so works both ways and can benefit you in all types of weather, regardless of how hot or cold it is. When the U-value of a window is low, it means that the window can regulate the temperature both ways. These windows won’t leak heat outside when it’s freezing. At the same time, they can prevent external heat from entering your home during summers.
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)
The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient or SHGC, stands for the amount of solar heat that passes through glass. While it is similar to the U-value, technically it’s different. While the U-value deals with heat transfer in general, SHGC is only concerned with blocking the sun’s heat.
Having a low SHGC value means that window glasses will allow less solar heat into your house. As a result, the solar heat will have a less impact on your home’s HVAC cooling system and it will struggle to maintain indoor comfort levels.
Since the weather in Flower Mound can become extremely hot during summers, we recommend our readers to choose windows that have a low SHGC. However, places that remain cold throughout the year should have windows with high SGHC values. To ensure that windows in Flower Mound can conserve energy during summer, choose window glasses that have an SHGC below 0.40.
Use of Multi-Pane Glasses
Single-pane windows make an HVAC system work harder than it should. When it comes to energy conservation, they are not the best option.
We recommend that you use triple-pane windows in Flower Mound. However, double-pane windows are also sufficient enough to make a difference in your energy consumption. Both of these windows help minimize unnecessary loss of energy.
These windows have an extra layer of vacuum in between each set of pane. This extra layer provides additional insulation, which stops heat from going through the window.
Some manufacturers even insert neon gases inside these vacuum spaces to increase insulation. These gases are more efficient than air for blocking heat transfer. Make sure to choose windows in Flower Mound that have these specialized gases.
Conclusion
Windows in Flower Mound are essential for keeping the harsh exterior elements out and maintaining a comfortable environment inside your home. If you need the best windows in Flower Mound, you should only trust an experienced window contractor to suggest the best fit for your home.
Energy Window Solutions have years of experience in providing long-lasting windows for residents of Flower Mound. They are your best bet when it comes to finding the perfect windows in Flower Mound.
To know more about Energy Window Solutions, visit the company’s website. You can benefit from their extensive services by directly calling them at 972-290-1848.