Energy-efficient windows are crucial to the regulation of heat in your home, reducing air conditioning expenses. They reduce outside noise as well.
During long, hot Texas summers, air conditioners must work overtime to combat the heavy humidity and high temperatures. Energy efficient windows from Milgard provide thermal resistance that keeps your cool, climate-controlled home in and the humid outdoors out!
Insulation
The most basic element of an Energy Star-qualified window is its insulation. This material eliminates cold drafts and creates a barrier against outside noise, making for a more comfortable home environment.
It also keeps warm air inside during the winter and cool air outdoors in the summer, which cuts down on cooling costs. In addition, it stops harmful UV rays from fading your furniture and carpeting.
Getting an Energy Star label for your new windows requires meeting certain standards set by the EPA. These include a U-Factor and SHGC rating. Windows with a lower U-Factor will better insulate and work well in northern climates, while those with a low SHGC will keep solar radiation from entering the home and keeping it uncomfortably hot.
Low-E Glass
Losing or gaining heat through windows accounts for about 25 percent of the energy people use in their homes. High performance windows help reduce cooling and heating costs by preventing that loss or gain. These windows also protect rugs, paintings and furniture from UV radiation that can cause fading.
Adding Low-E coating to the glass of your window improves its U-factor, and helps keep you more comfortable. It may cost a little more than traditional glass, but it usually pays for itself in the long run with energy savings.
The coating prevents heat from passing through the glass. In the summer, it reflects heat from the sun and keeps your home cool. In the winter, it reflects interior heat back into the room and keeps your home warm. This innovative coating is applied to the inner surface of the window and can be either soft or hard. Soft Coat Low E is a popular choice, and it has the advantage of not causing a greenish color that some hard coat products have.
Spacers
The spacers between window panes are critical for the insulation effectiveness of a double or triple-pane window. Standard metal spacers suck heat out of the glass and into your home’s living spaces, while new warm edge spacers minimize thermal conduction along the sealed edges of the windows and increase the window’s insulating capabilities.
Energy efficient windows are typically filled with argon, krypton or xenon, which help to slow down thermal transfer between the window panes. This helps to reduce heating and cooling loads on your HVAC, and can significantly reduce your energy bills.
Energy efficient windows also feature coatings that block harmful UV rays from entering your home, which can damage furniture fabrics and art works over time. This can save you money on costly repairs and help preserve your prized possessions for years to come. All windows with energy star ratings carry an NFRC sticker that shows their performance properties in black and white numbers so you can easily understand how they perform. The sticker will show a window’s U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, visible light transmittance and air leakage resistance.
Frames
The frames of your windows are just as important as the glass when it comes to energy efficiency. They should be rigid to prevent heat transfer, but they shouldn’t be too stiff that air can’t pass through them. Aluminum frames are the most common, but they don’t insulate as well as other materials such as vinyl or wood.
Energy-efficient frames will also be resilient to changes in temperature to avoid expansion and contraction. Fiberglass frames are strong enough to resist the effects of hot and cold weather, so they make a great option for Houston homeowners.
If you want your new Energy-efficient windows in Houston TX to perform at their best, look for double-pane windows with Low-E glass and a thick insulation package. This combination of UV-filtering Low-E glass, insulating argon gas and Intercept warm-edge spacers can help keep your home comfortable and reduce energy consumption by up to 40%. That’s a huge savings on your monthly energy bills!