Energy efficiency is a huge concern for any Florida homeowner. Keeping your home nice and cool in tropical heat can be difficult… and expensive. To help keep your home cool, it’s a good idea to buy energy efficient windows.
How do energy efficient windows work? What features can help you identify a truly efficient window? Where should you buy energy efficient windows from?
Let’s go over the basics of energy efficient windows and how you can get the right ones to help you save money for years to come:
How to Buy Energy Efficient Windows: Energy Efficiency Metrics to Know
When assessing a window’s energy efficiency, there are two key metrics to know: Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and U-Factor.
About Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, abbreviated as SHGC, is a measure of how much heat makes it through the window from the sun’s visible light. Or, as Energy.gov puts it, “SHGC measures how much of the sun’s heat comes through the window.”
SHGC is measured on a scale of 0 (least heat getting through) to 1 (the most heat getting through).
About U-Factor
U factor is a measure of how well a window insulates the home and is also measured on a scale of 0.2 to 1.2. The lower the number, the better the insulation provided.
When the insulation of the window is close to the peak possible, warm Florida air will be kept out and your cooler air-conditioned air will remain inside. When the U-factor is high, air may leak more easily between your house and the outdoors, meaning your AC unit will have to work harder to replace the cold air.
About R-Value
R-Value is an alternate term to U factor that may be used by some experts who aren’t part of the glazing/fenestration industry. It’s most commonly cited by home inspectors and some general contractors/builders who don’t specialize in fenestration (windows). Like u factor, it measures how well the object in question insulates the home, just on a different scale.
With R-Value, the higher the number, the better it insulates the home. You can determine the R-value of a window based on its u factor by dividing 1 by the U-factor. So, a window with a U-factor of .40 would have an R-value of 2.5 and a window with a u factor of 0.2 would have an R-value of 5.
You can also determine the U-factor of a window from the listed R-value by dividing 1 by the R-value.
How to Use U-Factor and SHGC to Assess Window Energy Efficiency
When you’re window shopping for energy efficient windows, you can use the U-factor and SHGC values of the window to assess how energy efficient the window should be.
Ideally, you’ll want windows that fall within ENERGY STAR v 7.0 guidelines for energy efficiency certification in Florida. As a southern location, this would mean that you would want windows with U-Factors of 0.32 or lower, and SHGC values of 0.23 or less.
So, if you’re looking to buy energy efficient windows and you see U-Factor and SHGC values higher than 0.32 and 0.23 respectively, you’ll want to keep looking!
How to Buy Energy Efficient Windows: Common Features to Look For
So, how can you be sure that the sticker on a window in the store is a good representation of its actual energy efficiency? Mistakes happen and a window might have the wrong sticker in the showroom. Some truly unscrupulous companies may outright bait-and-switch you: selling you on one window in the showroom and then installing a different window when the install date comes up.
To protect yourself from such errors and fraud, it’s important to know what features a truly energy-efficient window will have. Some of the most common features of windows that have sold U-factor and SHGC values include:
- Solar Control Low-E Coating: A solar control low-e window coating reflects away harmful ultraviolet and infrared light that carries the sun’s heat into your home. This film may vary in appearance depending on the window manufacturer. Some even specialize in making near-invisible low-e coatings for their energy-efficient windows. However, these windows can be identified by how they reflect light. Some recommend using a lighter and checking the reflection in the glass for discoloration to see if the glass has a coating. Low-e coatings provide a significant boost to a window’s SHGC value.
- Multiple Panes of Glass. How many layers of glass does the window have? Are there spacers between the glass panes? Having two or three panes of glass in each window sash can have a major impact on a window’s u-factor rating.
- Argon Gas Fills. To further enhance the insulation of a window, many window makers offer inert gas fills (like argon gas) that inhibit thermal transfer between the two panes of glass. It can be difficult to know if the window has argon gas. One indication of a window having an argon gas fill is the presence of holes in the spacer bar where the manufacturer pumped in the gas. A sign a window doesn’t have argon gas in it would be condensation forming between the glass panes. If that happens, the gas may have leaked out and been replaced with normal air.
- An AAMA Gold Label. To earn an AAMA gold label certification, a window has to pass stringent testing to verify its energy efficiency and durability. An AAMA Gold Label is a great indicator of a window’s overall quality. To verify that a window product has really earned AAMA gold label certification, you can look up your window on the Certified Products Directory.
Another way to verify a window is actually an energy-efficient model is to look for an etching in or stamp on the window’s glass to find information about the window’s brand, model number, and other information. It can help to use a bright light source to make the stenciling easier to see. Then you can look it up with the manufacturer or on the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) website via their product approval search feature.
This can help you verify that the windows you get are the windows you wanted for energy efficiency.
How to Buy Energy Efficient Windows: Finding the Right Installer
When it comes to replacing your windows, you need more than just the right windows… you need the right window installer. The quality of the installation work can make or break a window’s energy efficiency.
After all, it doesn’t matter if you have the best window ever made with the lowest U-Factor and SHGC values if the installer leaves inch-wide gaps around the frame for air to leak through!
So, when looking for a window installation company to put your new windows in for you, you need a company you know you can rely on. Some things to look for in the best window replacement company include:
- A Long History of Quality Work. Is the window installation company a proven professional with years or decades of experience under their belt, or some fly-by-night contractor who may or may not be there three weeks from now. Great window companies tend to last for a while, so look for one with a long history and plenty of positive reviews proving the quality of their work.
- A Service Guarantee. Does the window company offer any kind of warranty on their work or on the parts/materials of the windows they install. Be sure to check the company’s warranty policy and ask them what they do and don’t cover!
- A Variety of Window Products. Is the window installer beholden to a single window manufacturer or do they carry a variety of products from different manufacturers? Companies that only work with one manufacturer may not have the full selection you need or may not be able to offer the best deals on products because they’re beholden to the single manufacturer that they work with.
- Proactive Communication. How does the installation company handle communication? Do they reach out to you proactively to give you updates on your window installation like whether your windows have been shipped or if there’s been a delay? Work with company that proactively reaches out to you so you’re never in the dark about your window installation!
- Uses In-House Window Installation Specialists. It’s a dirty little secret in the industry, but a lot of ‘window installation’ companies or wholesalers don’t use installers who are on the company payroll. Instead, they use outsourced third-party contractors. The problem here is that these third party contractors don’t always know what they’re doing and they may be nearly impossible to hold accountable if something goes wrong with your installation. You’ll reach out to the installation company, they’ll foist the blame on the subcontractor, and you will waste time getting the runaround rather than getting your windows fixed. Using a window installation company that has in-house installers helps ensure that experienced professionals are the ones handling your window installations, not some untrained know-nothing working under a different contractor’s license!
- Performing On-Site Inspections BEFORE Giving You a Quote. A common complaint in the window installation industry is that a customer gets cited one quote upfront based on the size of their windows, but then they get slapped with added fees when the installation starts due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’ that would have been obvious with an in-person inspection. A real professional will check your windows to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed with the window opening, the building frame, etc. so they can account for them in the initial quote rather than springing thousands of dollars in additional charges on you after the window tear-out!
These are just a few of the things to look for in a company before you buy energy efficient windows from them!
Buy Energy Efficient Windows from the Best Installers in Town!
Need to buy energy efficient windows to start saving money on your monthly energy bills? Get your new windows from the best installer in all of Tampa Bay! Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors to request a free in-person installation assessment, consultation, and quote for service!
