Ecobuilt Windows

It is estimated by the California Energy Commission that up to 40 percent of a typical building’s cooling requirements are caused by the absorption of solar heat through the windows and into the building. Taking this statistic into account, for obvious reasons, there is a lot of the expense of this that can be saved by ensuring that the windows are energy efficient through the appropriate glass installation and that the windows are well maintained.



When old windows remain in place, these tend to permit the warmer air that is held within the building to escape to the exterior, while on warmer days, heat from the exterior is constantly absorbed. Employing a window contractor to replace old windows with energy efficient windows will lower the costs of your energy consumption and will maintain the interior of the building at a comfortable temperature.



Should you be thinking about replacing your home’s windows, you should keep in mind that lower quality and lower cost windows can in fact cost you more over the longer period. You will always achieve superior energy savings by installing quality windows and these will, given time, pay for themselves in terms of energy savings. Furthermore, there are windows that can qualify to a certain stipulation and these are then eligible for governmental rebates as well as special incentives.





Window Energy Ratings



So that you can avail of everything that a high quality energy efficient window is able to provide, you must comprehend at least the basics of energy rating labels. In turn, by doing so, you will understand what it is you should be looking for and the energy efficiency of each product.



- U Factor: The U Factor represents the Solar Heat Loss Coefficient and it is best when below 0.3.



- SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient):The SHGC is indicated in terms of a scale of between 1 and 10. For hotter climates a lower SHGC is advisable and vice versa for cooler climates.



There are window brands that include this information in terms of air leakage, condensation resistance, and visible light transmittance, and this will be carried on the labelling. There are, likewise, coefficients for heating and for cooling. The NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) window labels include an energy performance number, too.





Condensation Resistance Coefficient

The condensation resistance coefficient is given as a value on a scale from 1 to 100, and it measures the window’s resistance to the amount of condensation that it sustains. With respect to this scale, the resistance is better when the number is higher.





Air Leakage Coefficient



The air leakage coefficient is listed on a scale from 0.00 through 1.00. This indicates the amount of air that may pass through a square foot of window, of skylight, et cetera, and also through spaces, and cracks. It’s wise to go for as low a number as possible.




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