Energy Efficient Windows

How Energy Efficient Windows Keep Hot Air Inside

Energy efficient windows are one of the most important upgrades you can make to your property, especially if you live in a region which experiences extremely cold winters. This is because the windows are the weak part of your walls, the part where heat is most prone to escape. If you are having a new building constructed, you will need to use Low-E glass to make sure that heat loss is kept to a minimum, and the same effect can be realized in an old building by having replacement windows fitted.

One important consideration which is often overlooked is to make sure that other areas of your home are not leaking heat as well, especially your roof. There is little point in keeping heat reflected back into the room, if that heat simply rises upwards and departs through an inefficient roof. Heat will always rise, so roof insulation is one of the most important enhancements for any home. The actual material used for your roofing is probably adequate, as even slate and wooden roofing can be effective. You could change to a modern compound or fiberglass roof, or you can just improve the quality of the insulating material on the inside of the roof.

If the roof is operating efficiently, you will gain a far greater benefit from your replacement windows. Exactly how much of a difference is made will depend on how much heat was leaking out through your old windows, but in houses built many years ago the savings can be considerable. Not only will old windows almost certainly have a single pane of glass, they may also have frames with an old design and fasteners which leave actual gaps. The frames may also have warped, leading to even more heat escaping through the holes which have been created.

Replacing an old installation of this type with energy efficient windows will make an enormous difference to your comfort levels within your room, especially during cold and windy weather. It will also allow you to turn down your heating appliances to a more reasonable level without sacrificing comfort. Using Low-E glass in the same way as you would in a new building will be even more effective, and you can increase the benefits still further by using more than one layer of glass, or by using inert gases in the gap between panes. Changing your boiler at the same time to a more efficient one will produce even further savings.

As well as making sure that the glass is the most efficient you can install, you also need to look at the frames which are going to be used. Wooden frames have often been used in the past, and they do have several disadvantages. The first is that they need more ongoing maintenance than frames made from other materials, but they are also prone to warping. Even so, wood cannot be dismissed entirely, as it will perform well as an insulator if the fitting is made more effectively than on many old windows.

The most effective frames for energy efficient windows are fiberglass and plastic compounds, with fiberglass being especially promising as a tough but versatile material. Unlike vinyl, you can paint it, but unlike wood, you don't have to. You can create a variety of appearances to fit in with your garden or the exterior of your home. Fiberglass is extremely tough and gives your window frames the least possible chance of warping. A combination of new modern frames and Low-E glass will give you a greatly enhanced degree of insulation compared to most old fittings, and you will save money continuously with your energy efficient windows.

Dave R. Passelou

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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