You have choices when it comes to replacement windows for your home, but what do the choices really mean for you? If you’re concerned about energy efficiency, the choices available in windows mean a great deal to your comfort and savings in your energy bill.
Sir Home Improvements features Sunrise windows for our window replacement projects in southwest Michigan because energy efficiency is a priority in the home improvements we do for our customers. But let’s take a closer look at why we use Sunrise.
Benefits Differ in Frame Material
The first choice you have, and the choice that may seem most obvious, are the type of window frames available for replacement windows. Each type of frame can offer benefits.
Aluminum window frames are strong despite their light weight, and don’t require much maintenance. It may even be the perfect window for homeowners who don’t live in the cold climate. But this is the upper Midwest. Come January, aluminum window frames conduct cold from the outside into your home, driving up your heating bill.
Wood-frame windows are a favorite choice among many homeowners because of their look, and they certainly offer more insulation that aluminum windows. Yet wood must be treated or painted to prevent the frames from rotting or warping, or simply begin looking old. You need to keep the frame properly painted or stained to ward off insects from burrowing into the wood.
PVC windows can offer the best energy efficiency if they are filled with a polyurethane insulating foam to prevent heat and cooling loss, such as the windows provided by Sunrise. The ability to custom paint the exterior of your windows and the wide range of designer options available can bring a quality look to your home while adding comfort and energy savings.
Protection Value of Low-E Glass
Low-Emissive or Low-E glass is coated with a thin, invisible layer of metal particles or metallic oxide to minimize the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that passes through the window. Ultraviolet light can cause interior furniture fabrics and wall coverings to fade. By also reflecting infrared light, or heat energy, replacement windows with Low-E glass will keep the heat inside your home in winter, and keep the heat outside during summer, important considerations for the weather extremes we have here in Michigan.
Multiple Panes Improve Insulation
It’s pretty common these days to see windows with two panes of glass for better insulation properties. Some Energy Star qualified windows now include three panes to add even more energy efficiency. The use of gas such as argon or krypton between the panes improves thermal insulation even further, yet both gases are inert, non toxic, clear and odorless.
Sunrise manufactures its windows with a 90 percent argon or krypton gas fill.
Proper Spacers Vital
Spaces keep the glass panes in a window a proper distance apart to insulate pane edges and reduce heat transfer. Many materials are used for spacers, from stainless steel to aluminum to foam. The metal spacers provide needed durability to handle the flex of the glass as it heats and cools throughout the day. Sunrise uses stainless-steel spacers with moisture-absorbing desiccant beads inside to give the windows longer life.
At Sir Home Improvements, we compared the many options available for replacement windows in the marketplace, and decided Sunrise windows offered the best option for our customers. If you’re thinking of replacing your home’s windows, give us a call to learn more about Sunrise and why it may be the best option for you.
