Best Energy Efficient Windows For Your Home
Most homeowners probably think about aesthetics first when they’re considering purchasing replacement windows or installing new windows in a new home. However, energy efficiency is another factor which should be uppermost in your mind, because not only will it help to lower your utility bills, but you will also get a sizable return on your investment. Any year where a heat wave is in progress like the current year, will make it important for you to have the utmost level of energy efficiency that you can afford. Here are some facts about energy efficiency that you should keep in mind when making your purchase.
What to look for when choosing energy-efficient windows
Energy efficiency will have slightly different meanings, depending on the climate of whatever geographic area you live in. This being the case, energy-efficient windows may be designed to accomplish different results for various sections of the country. In colder climates for instance, energy-efficient windows will allow more sunlight into the home, whereas for routinely hot climates, it would be more advantageous to block out the sun’s rays as much as possible. The information you’ll need to make the right purchase will generally be included on the window label, and this information is provided by two different energy certifications, Energy Star and National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).
Energy Star replacement windows
Energy Star is actually a government program tasked with the certification of energy efficiency as it relates to doors, appliances, windows, and various other home products. This rating system provides guidance on the level of energy which you will be able to save, as well as how much money you can save when any of these products are installed in your home. The Energy Star label identifies whether or not a window has been certified by the program, and if so, which part of the country is certified for.
It’s possible that the certification might apply to all 50 states, or it could apply to specific regions of the country. It will also identify exactly which energy performance ratings you should be looking for in the climate where you live. Another service which the Energy Star label provides is an analysis of products which have been certified, and it recognizes superior performance by those products which have earned it. Each year, the most energy efficient certified products are given awards through this program, for excelling in their specific industry.
NFRC window ratings
Through Energy Star, you can be confident that any window you purchase has the appropriate energy-efficient standards, but NFRC ratings go into deeper detail on performance, so that you will be able to compare how different windows perform. NFRC is actually a nonprofit organization which developed a program that uses energy ratings to rate energy efficiency for doors and windows.
This window rating system is a very reliable guideline for determining the whole unit energy performance of a window, as opposed to analyzing only the performance of the glass in the window. Window manufacturers try to have their products rated and certified under this program, so that they can acquire the status of being an NFRC window, and have the prestigious label affixed to their product.
