Vinyl Windows and Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a huge term when it comes to building materials, home appliances, vehicles, and practically anything that consumes energy. Everyone wants their homes to be as energy efficient as possible – both because of the potential impact on the environment and the savings that lower energy consumption can help generate. Although there are many areas in the home where energy efficiency can be improved, one of the best and most crucial ways is by choosing the right windows.

One of most popular materials used in window manufacturing today is vinyl. In this post, we take a closer look at vinyl windows, and their performance in terms of energy efficiency.

The Anatomy of an Energy-Efficient Window

Windows are the weakest points in the home when it comes to reducing energy consumption. When temperatures spike on either end of the scale, more energy is needed to maintain a constant level of comfort inside the home, mostly because windows are a major source of leaks.

The key to improving a home’s energy efficiency is to install energy efficient windows. But what exactly makes for an energy efficient window? What are the best materials to use to improve energy efficiency?

To understand energy efficient windows, let’s examine their anatomy.

Vinyl Frames

Whether or not you’re a fan of vinyl, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that vinyl is actually among the best energy saving materials today. It has excellent thermal insulation properties and low conductivity, which means it won’t absorb unnecessary external heat and cold. Moreover, as it is easy to maintain and the material is recyclable, it is not only energy-efficient but environment-friendly as well.

Multiple Panes

An energy efficient window has two or more panes of glass instead of just one. To add better efficiency value, the space between the panes is filled with air or gas. Most vinyl window units on the market today pass this criterion.

Low-e glass

Regular glass lets heat pass both ways – not an ideal situation when you’ve got energy efficiency in mind. When you’re trying to make the home warmer during cold months, heat can escape through the glass panes. Meanwhile, when you’re trying to cool the home during the hot summer months, heat from the sun can enter your home through the window. The solution: Specially coated glass called “low-e glass,” which reflects heat, thus preventing heat from entering or escaping. You can find vinyl windows that are equipped with low-e glass.

Gas Filling

While some double glass windows are filled with air, others are filled with a non-toxic gas, such as argon or krypton. These gasses provide more insulation, adding to the energy efficiency capabilities of vinyl frames.

Warm Edge Spacers

If a window has two glass panes, they need to be separated by warm edge spacers that reduce heat transfer. If you purchase vinyl windows with multiple panes, they most likely have these.

Terms Used in Energy-Efficient Windows

When searching for energy-efficient vinyl windows, you’ll notice that some manufacturers claim that their products are more energy-efficient than others. However, it may be difficult for a layman to understand these claims without knowing the terms used in the industry. Here’s a quick crash course that may help:

Several factors affect the flow of energy: conduction, convection, air leakage, and radiation. If you were to combine all these factors together, you would get a “U” value. This value is what you’ll see printed on manufacturer labels. Below are brief descriptions of each of the factors:

• Conduction is the way heat passes through a certain type of material.
• Convection describes the way heat moves through a window.
• Air leakage is almost self-explanatory. If air can pass through a leak, so can heat or energy.
• Radiation describes the heat transfer from something hot to something cold. If a certain material is good at receiving heat, it will be good at transmitting heat as well.

In short, the higher the U-value, the easier it is for heat to transfer through the material. When searching for energy efficient windows, look for lower U-values. Fortunately, energy-efficient vinyl windows easily fit the specifications you need to look for to a tee.

About the Author

John Zatwarnytsky is Vice President of Homecraft, Inc. He’s passionate about giving customers the best quality service, and is highly committed to delivering beautifully done, comfortable, and energy-efficient projects to clients. He addresses common roofing and home improvement concerns through his blog.