| Energy Efficient Windows Save You Money! |
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| Do not “Short Cut” Energy Efficiency with cheaply built windows. Never accept a single pane window. Not all energy efficient windows are the same, look closely and see how they are built and labeled. It is sad but true, but for decades the “Energy Company” and many “Builders” sold the consumer the “Single Pane Lie.” Now it is the law that new homes must have “Double Pane” windows per the IRC truly the (IECC) and the current energy efficiency standards.Order your energy efficient windows when the foundation is poured, and they will arrive when you need them. Have the framers install them the day they arrive, and be onsite to insure they are installed, flashed, and sealed properly  Now let’s take a look at the energy efficiency requirements The NFRC – National Fenestration Rating Council: NFRC 100 is concerned with testing of U factors of windows, doors and skylights: U Factor is the reverse of R Factor; It is the Heat coefficient transfer. A U factor of .15 in a window is better than .25.U factor is the whole window (Frame, Glass, Spacers).As a U factor is the inverse of R value divided 1 by the U factor number of window .25 (1/.25) = 4 R Value.  Note that all double-pane windows are not the same: Up North use “Low E”In South use “Southern Low E”, also known as “Reverse Low E”. Let the buyer beware that many windows are marketed in the South that are low E and made for the northern climates. Test your windows to make sure you have the proper coatings for your zoned area per the IECC. For the South (zone 2,) we need Southern Low E coatings applied to glass areas. This is where the sputter coating reflects the heat out on glass # 2 (which is the inside surface of the outer piece of glass), known as surface #1. If coatings were on the inside, then it would retain “trap the heat in the house”. This is known as Low E used in Northern and colder climates. Properly install windows, caulk all flanges and seal well. Vinyl window flashing, whether used in new or replacement construction is cheap added insurance against leakage. I always recommend it even if the window is self-flashed. |
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