Determining the Energy Efficiency of Replacement Windows
Are you thinking about replacing your windows? Does your window gets stuck or won’t easily open or close? Is the trim rotting? Is your window glass cracked or broken? Does the temperature inside your room feel hot during the summer and cold during winter season? If most of your answer is yes, then that means that your windows need immediate replacement.
Not many people understand the importance of their windows. They simply think that these are aesthetic addition to their home architecture. The truth is your windows provide insulation for your home. This helps lessen your need for your heating, ventilating and cooling system. However, if your window does not provide adequate insulation, there will surely be an increase in the use of your HVAC system, which consequently means consuming more energy and paying more for your electricity bills.
If you must know, your HVAC system is responsible for more than half of your electricity bills every month. The poorer ventilation and insulation your windows provide, the higher number of times you would use your HVAC system as it helps make your home feel a lot cozier. About 90% of the heat and cold air escapes through the door and the windows, that is why it is essential that homeowners today pay more attention to their windows than any other things, because by simply installing replacement windows, you will be able to save thousands from your energy consumption.
Now, replacement windows come in a wide variety of selections. But the most important that you need to base your decision into is their energy efficiency. What with the increasing prices of electricity and the continuous inflation of almost all basic necessities, people are required to tighten their budget. You can save more than fifty percent of your current electricity bills every month by ensuring that you are using energy efficient windows. Now, here are some ways on how to determine the energy efficiency of window replacements:
U Factor
The U factor determines the measurement of the heat or cold transfer of the entire window glass as well as the surrounding frame. The measurement varies between 0.2 and 1.3. The lower U factor, the better because it signifies lesser heat or cold transfer. Single paned windows made form high quality material have the U factor of 1.0., while the high tech three paned window replacements will have around 0.2 U factors.
Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient
This on the on the other hand determines the amount of heat the escapes through from the home exterior. When you live in warm climate, you must pay attention to this. The solar heat gain co-efficient vary between 0 and 1.0. The lower solar heat gain co-efficient rating the better, because that means less heat can get inside the house, minimizing the demand for you to use your air conditioning system.
Visible Transmittance
The visible transmittance determines the amount of light that can pass through the new windows from the outside. This is measured between 0 and 1. The higher VT then that means that brighter your home would be. So the higher rating, the lower demand for artificial light saving you hundreds from electricity bills.
If you are looking for replacement windows that have high energy efficiency, then simply visit this link fixthehome.com to get more information about the prices and the estimate cost of the materials and labor.
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