What Makes A Window Energy Efficient?

Increasingly, homeowners are turning to energy-efficient windows to reduce household costs and minimize household expenses. With energy-efficient windows, you get a ton of benefits, starting with the fact that they save you money on energy and increase the value of your home. How does a window obtain its energy efficiency? It takes five pieces to make it work.

You can get more light and air through every window in your house. Windows protect your home from the outside elements (air, water, insects, etc.). They also make sure your home stays at a consistent temperature throughout the day.

Building envelopes are made up of several different components, such as windows, doors, roofs, walls, and floors. Building envelopes are the shells that cover the exterior of a house. The envelope is in charge of controlling moisture and temperature, as well as deflecting outside elements and preserving the structural stability of a structure.

There is no doubt that energy-efficient windows play a crucial role in the creation of a tight envelope. With a tight building envelope, you will be able to control the quality of the air inside your home, the temperature, the humidity levels, and your energy consumption. What's the secret to an energy-efficient window?

1. Multiple Panes of Glass

Windows can indeed lose energy due to the glass, but there are ways to design them to reduce heat transfer. You are not going to be able to get much insulation for your home if only one pane of glass is used. Two or three panes of glass will provide you with the best energy efficiency, so choose two or three panes of glass.

The use of multiple panes helps prevent the transfer of heat through the window. In addition to offering insulation and resistance, they also offer soundproofing capabilities. The ENERGY STAR quality windows have three or more panes, which will allow you to experience even greater energy efficiency, increased strength, and improved sound insulation than other windows.

2. Quality Window Frame Materials

Durable, low-maintenance, and thermally efficient frame materials are best. The most effective window frames for energy efficiency are ones that are made of non-metal materials such as wood, fiberglass, or vinyl. Wood indeed has the lowest thermal transfer value of all building materials, but it also requires a great deal of maintenance, even for those with cladding. Window frames and sashes made from fiberglass or vinyl will be the most energy efficient and easiest to maintain.

3. Low-E Glass Coatings

Even though a window's glass is thick, heat can still pass through it. A Low-E coating on the glass of energy-efficient windows will help to increase the efficiency of the glass by reflecting infrared and ultraviolet light, which is a byproduct of the glass itself. As the name implies, Low-E has low emissivity.

There's a thin metallic coating on glass called a Low-E coating. In the window, it's on the inside of the outside pane. The purpose of this is to prevent heat from escaping your house during the winter months. In the summer, the Low-E coating prevents outside heat from entering your house and keeping it from making its way inside. Low-E coatings protect your interior and furniture from fading and sun damage due to their ultraviolet protection.

4. Window Gas Fills

Filling windows with gas reduces the conductance of the air space between multiple layers of glass, which makes windows more energy efficient. In sealed glass units without gas fillers, cool air settles at the bottom and warm air rises to the top.

Space is filled with inert gases, such as argon or krypton, which minimizes convection currents and lowers conduction through the gas as well as overall heat exchange between the inside and outside temperatures. In terms of spacing, EWC recommends 12" between panes filled with argon gas and 14" between panes filled with krypton gas.

5. Window Spacers

A window glass spacer is a plastic, metal, or foam strip that separates, supports, and seals in the gases that are inserted between the panes. Glass spacers keep glass sheets at the right distance apart and create an airtight cavity between them. Besides insulating pane edges, these non-metallic and metal hybrid spacers also reduce heat transfer through windows.

Homes with Efficient Windows Benefit More Than Others

1. Reduce Your Energy Use

You can reduce your energy usage with energy-efficient windows. Insulating properties make these windows great for keeping your home comfortable during the winter or summer. Plus, your heating and air conditioning won't have to work as hard since indoor temperatures are constantly changing. The less energy you use, the less fuel you burn, so your house is greener.

2. UV Protection

Regular windows let in more sunlight, and they don't block UV rays well. In addition, UV rays can damage wood, cloth, and furniture, plus they're bad for those with light sensitivity. Most energy-efficient windows have a UV-blocking or reducing coating. You won't see any fading or deterioration in your home because the coating blocks up to 98% of the rays.

3. Less Maintenance

There is a considerable reduction in condensation build-up because energy-efficient windows minimize the transfer of energy compared to traditional ones. UV protection helps prevent water spots and dirt build-up, which reduces the chance of mold growth, saves you hours of time cleaning, and reduces the number of water spots.

Final Thoughts

Today, we are living in times when energy prices have skyrocketed. We must do everything possible to conserve our energy and lower our energy expenses. One of the most effective ways to do so is to use energy-efficient windows in our homes. Energy-efficient windows enable us to reduce energy use, help save money on energy bills, require less maintenance, and offer UV protection.