Find a Dealer in Your AreaDoes The Perfect Window Exist?
All windows are not alike. All homes are not alike. Choosing the right windows for your home comes down to your location and how much sun exposure your home gets. Before you make a decision, it helps to become educated. That’s what we are here for.
Watch Jeff’s educational video on what makes up a perfect window. It boils down to:
- Picking the right frame material
- Choosing the right glass package
- Selecting a great company
Choosing The Perfect Frame
Frame materials are the first critical decision you’ll have to make.
Vinyl Framed Windows: Vinyl is a great product because of its conductive resistance. When the outside window frame surface gets hot, it will not conduct heat into your interior. The danger is that all vinyl frames are not alike. Since Vinyl frames are the least expensive to manufacture, there are a lot of different vinyl window makers out there. Inferior grade vinyl leads to huge thick frames that reduce the glass area of your window.
Our preferred vinyl framed window is from Anlin Windows and Doors. They use an ultra premium vinyl and even fill the internal cavities of the window frame with insulating foam. Anlin offers premium color choices and the full array of opening styles from single hung, sliders, casement, picture windows and geometric shapes, just to name the most popular styles.
Aluminum Framed Windows: Modern aluminum windows are strong and anodized in an array of colors. The problem with old aluminum windows is that the exterior surface as in direct contact with the interior surface. Heat conducted from the outside to the inside of your home. Radiant heat from window frames could be felt in the rooms facing the sun.
Modern aluminum windows, like the ones made by Texas’ own Don Young Windows, have a two section frame separated by what is called a thermal break. A composite strip that effectively insulates one frame section from the other. This innovation makes all the difference in aluminum replacement windows. They can closely match the energy efficiency of vinyl framed replacement windows.
Fiberglass and Composite Framed Windows: At the top end of the frame spectrum are windows made with composites and fiberglass. Our favorite in this category are from Infinity from Marvin. The pultruded fiberglass and resin construction (Ultrex) is 8 times stronger than vinyl and more resistant to hail damage and cracking/shrinking over time.
As with all the other frame materials, all fixed and opening styles are available from Infinity.
Wood and Aluminum Clad Framed Windows: If your after the luxurious look of wood but have no desire to maintain the wood frames to prevent dry rot, you’ll enjoy the Windsor Windows line of wood interior frames with aluminum on the exterior side. These premium windows give you the best of both worlds.
Several wood species and colors are available to match the decor of your interior while still getting the maintenance free benefits of aluminum outside.
Let’s Talk About Glass!
A window is not a window without glass! However, windows from the last decade or so were often single pane glass. Single pane glass does virtually nothing to protect your home from infrared heat, UV light, nor do they offer any insulating properties.
The first level of improvement is double pane glass. With two panes of glass separated by an air gap and an insulating spacer system creates the IGU (insulating glass unit). You’ll gain some benefits by increasing insulation factors and eliminate some of heat gain and UV rays but, you’ll need to go one step further for the best windows. In extremely cold climates, 3 panes of glass (triple-pane windows) are warranted for their increase insulation properties. This is knows as the U-Factor of the window. .
Low emissivity coatings (Low-E) are microscopic layers of silver oxide on the interior surface of the glass. This coating is what steps up the UV light and infrared heat protection of the IGU. The number of coatings start from 2 coats, to 3 coats, and up to 4 coats of Low-E. Coatings directly after the SHGC (solar heat gain rating) of your windows. Energy Star level is .30. For hot climates look for numbers below .30 such at .25. One thing you may want to keep in mind though is that more coats of silver oxide does reduce the Visible Transmission (VT rating) of your windows. Your rooms will be darker.
Got Gas?
Standard double paned windows will have an air gap between the glass. This is usually sufficient. However, the perfect windows might have a gas fill such as Argon gas or Krypton gas will offer the most insulating benefits for protection against cold weather…you’ll get a lower U-Factor number while also contributing to a lower SHGC rating.
Need Help Choosing Your Perfect Windows?
If you are in either the Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth metros, we can help directly. Just call or complete one of our request forms. You’ll find a meeting with one of our window consultants to be educational as well as no-stress and no-obligation.
Not in our service area? Let us help you find a qualified window expert in your town. Visit Jeff’s List for our curated list of window professionals. We look forward to assisting you.