With environment friendly products and greener living becoming the order of the day, you can choose eco-friendly replacements for your windows, which will result in huge savings in energy costs. With homeowners choosing energy savings appliances for their homes to make sure that their homes remain insulated in the extreme weather conditions, good replacement windows ensure that the warm air inside the homes does not escape during the day or night. This article provides an insight into the various ideas to consider while replacing your existing windows.
Material
While choosing replacement windows, you should pay attention to obtaining windows, which can reduce your energy costs with the maximum level of lining. You can even consider the vinyl-based windows. Vinyl, commonly known as PVC, is a type of plastic that possesses excellent lining. It is made up of poly vinyl chloride and is fully free from repairs. Unlike the traditional wooden windows, PVC windows do not rind or crumb off. Vinyl windows have better lining and can withstand extreme weather conditions. They are also durable and provide a glossy look to any room in which they are fitted. PVC windows can considerably lower your energy bills provided they are fitted properly and are well lined.
Energy efficiency
When looking for PVC windows, you should look out for two aspects, namely, the U aspect and the R aspect. The U aspect refers to energy efficiency and the R aspect refers to the insulation. The U aspect is the rate at which heat escapes through the windows. Lower the U aspect number, higher is the windows ability to navigate heat through it. It is pertinent to note that PVC windows are considered energy efficient if they have a U aspect of 0.35 or lower. The R aspect is the degree of insulation’s heat loss impedance through the windows. Higher is the R aspect number, better is the windows ability to withstand heat loss impedance. Therefore, while choosing replacement windows for your home, you should keep these aspects in mind so that you can install energy efficient as well as fully insulated windows in place of the existing ones. Installing PVC windows with the above aspects will help in reduction of power consumption which not only will result in lower energy bills but also in a greener living.
Glazing
Another important feature to consider while looking for replacement windows is glazing. Normally, you will have the option to choose either double or triple glazing. In double glazing, the PVC windows will have two layers with lethargic gas whereas in triple glazing, the PVC windows will have three layers packed with lethargic gas. For high-energy efficiency, triple glazed PVC windows are the best. In addition, triple glazed PVC windows provide excellent lining compared to the double glazed windows. The triple glazed PVC windows are commonly used in countries like Scandinavia, which have extreme weather conditions.
Solar heat gain co-efficient
Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient (SHCG) is a measure to test a particular window’s heat dispersion rate from the outside environment. Lower the SHCG, higher is the windows resistance to heat from the outside to the inside environment. The SHCG test is important to ensure that the windows are well insulated and will aid in lowering your energy bills. You should also consider these features while looking for replacement windows.
Air infiltration test and water infiltration test
Apart from the SHCG test, there are two more tests: air infiltration and water infiltration test. The air infiltration test is to find out the air capacity that moves through the windows from the outside environment to the inside. The extreme degree of air infiltration should not be more than 0.30. Therefore, lower the rating, higher will be the windows capacity to withstand air capacity. Similarly, water infiltration test examines the amount of pressure and water that the windows are capable of resisting. Higher rating indicates the better resistant capability that the windows possess. It is important to consider these infiltration tests to ensure that the windows are energy efficient.
Conclusion
PVC windows have longer span life compared to the traditional windows. Even though PVC windows discharge harmful inhaling by products and greenhouse gas emissions, they help in energy conservation and greener living. Replacing your existing wooden windows with PVC windows will also aid in forest and tree conservation since the traditional wooden windows are made from tree logs. So, if you are thinking about replacing your existing windows, go for PVC windows with due consideration to the above mentioned factors.
