Upgrade to Energy-Efficient Windows
THE RIGHT energy star WINDOWS BEGIN PAYING YOU BACK THE DAY THEY’RE INSTALLED
Getting new replacement windows on your home is a golden opportunity to save money on energy costs every month – every month for a lifetime! That’s why everyone wants energy-efficient windows.
High-quality windows will start paying you back from day one in the form of lower energy bills. But how do you know if you’re getting the best energy-efficient windows available? The amount of jargon and competing claims about energy efficiency can make understanding your options overwhelming.
As trusted advisors for our customers, the Improveit team wants to help you do away with all that confusion. The easiest thing to do is to break a window down into four key areas and explain what to look for in each.
THE 4 components of ENERGy-efficient windows
1. The Frame
For maximum energy efficiency, you want a core inside the frame that provides superb insulation. The T-Core Frames that come standard with our windows have a dense foam thermal insulated core.
Our frames are also super-strong with I-beam reinforcement and fusion-welded construction. This is the ultimate frame for both structural integrity and thermal performance.
2. The Glass
Windows are about 86% glass. And glass is also the easiest place for energy to escape or for the sun’s heat to transfer on a broiling hot summer day.
So it only makes sense that the quality of the glass in your window is a big part of the energy efficiency equation.
The windows we install have thermally balanced glass, a true revolution in window technology. The engineers insist that we tell you that this technological breakthrough is based on molecularly restructuring the glass using a silica metallic oxide formulation.
They even want us to tell you the formula they discovered is SiOs + SNO2 = Silica Metallic Oxide.
Translating window nerd speak into normal homeowner language, this means that the our Thermostat glass:
- Transmits free solar energy in the winter (uses the sun’s energy to make your home warmer in winter).
- Reflects radiant energy in the summer (keeps more heat out on a blazing summer day).
- Keeps more of the heating and cooling generated by your furnace and AC inside where it belongs.
- Year-round comfort, even during extreme temperature days.
- UV protection built in, reducing any fading to carpet, drapes, and furniture.
- Works hand in hand with Solid Gold Spacer to reduce energy costs year-round.
Our SolarTech Energy Efficient Windows are especially made for our unique climate and its various temperature extremes.
Most windows being sold and installed locally aren’t really accounting for that. Most windows are mass-produced for a wide range of temperature zones.
But the window and glass you would want in Texas is different than the one you would want in Canada – and both of those are different from the window you would want in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Understanding Glass Coatings
The technology of coating glass with Low-E has evolved. Some windows have not kept up, but our windows are on the cutting edge with the latest incarnation of Low-E, with the right application of both quantity and quality.
Our windows combine both the best Low-E coated glass with Argon gas between the panes. Argon stops conductivity between the glass, lessening energy transfer (which is exactly what you want from an energy efficient window).
Some window companies will ask you to pay for more coatings (i.e. – double glazed) and claim it makes a big difference in the energy efficiency of the glass or offer it as a “free” upgrade. The truth is extra glazing does not give you much more energy efficiency, and putting on extra coatings can compromise the glass.
Choose the right technology – and the right window company – for the best results.
Want a superb energy efficient window that is also beautiful and strong? Reach out to us for a quote.
3. The Spacer
There’s a relatively small part of your window that not many window companies talk about, but this little piece has a huge impact on the energy efficiency of your window.
The spacer is the key component where the glass meets the frame. The problem with most replacement windows – even otherwise high-quality windows – is that they have metal spacers.
Metal spacers create a big problem because metal conducts heat and cold.
Companies use it because it’s a cheaper alternative. It holds costs down in a part of the window most homeowners have never heard of. Here are 3 problems with metal spacers:
- The metal spacer will allow for large variations of temperature at the edge of the glass and this will make condensation more likely.
- According to Popular Mechanics, 50% of the R-Value performance is lost at the edge of a window. (Basically, it’s physics: the heat generated inside your home will rush to the edge of the glass, where it is coldest).
- Worst of all – by far – is that the temperature variations will cause the glass to expand and contract too much at the edges. This puts a lot of pressure on the window seals. It will just be a matter of time before seal failure happens (usually happens in 5 to 7 years).
There is a solution called the SolarGold Spacer and it is exclusive to us in this geographic area. No other window company in Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, or Kentucky offers it.
The SolarGold Spacer is made from a high-density oxygenated silicon desiccant wrapped with radiant vapor barrier sheathing.
In plain English: This material is virtually non-conductive (and remember, the main problem with metal spacers is that they conduct heat and cold, putting stress on the edges of your windows).
To give you an idea of how much better it is, it’s 950 times less conductive than aluminum, and 85 times less conductive than steel (both of which are commonly used in metal spacers).
The bottom line is this: the SolarGold Spacer is the key to more in-home comfort, more energy savings, and no seal failure. We actually guarantee NO SEAL FAILURE as part of our ‘No Fine Print’ Lifetime Window Warranty.
4. The Sash
The sashes of a window are the parts that move up and down. When you open or close a window, you’re raising or lowering the sash. Like the frame, sashes must be strong and well-insulated to protect the glass and ensure smooth operation within the frame.
Our windows feature C-Core Reinforced Sashes in that are 400 times stronger than hollow sashes you’ll find in many replacement windows. The cavities within the sash are filled with a strong PVC composite material so the sashes will never sag, bow, or warp. Like our window frame, the sashes also provide additional insulation for the window, so heat can’t transfer through the sash.
Guaranteed energy-saving windows
We can only offer the no seal failure guarantee because of the amazing performance of our spacer and the No-Fail, Dual Seal design of our Performax54 Energy Efficient Windows.
When you buy energy efficient windows, you turn your window replacement project from an expenditure to an investment.
Don’t compromise now and cost yourself money for years and years – make a rock-solid investment in Performax54 Energy Efficient Windows from ImproveIt Home Remodeling.
