How To Choose The Best Windows For Your Home
Installing new windows in your house takes quite a bit of time, money, and effort. However, choosing the right window type will bring significantly more benefits in the long run, mostly by helping you save the energy you’d be wasting on heating or cooling your house. Today, we’re going to take you through choosing the ideal windows for your house, looking at types of frames, glass, and insulation technology.
Why a Good Quality Windows Selection Matters?
People wish to change their windows mainly because of poor temperature isolation. This can be caused by poor construction that lets the air from an outside leak in or glass that is too thin. This being said, single-pane windows should be replaced as soon as possible, as they are very good temperature and sound conductors, meaning you will hear and feel everything happening outside. So should a window with problematic frames and sashes – be temperature-conductive, broken, or not functional in any other way?
There are a couple of choices you have when it comes to window frames.
Guide to Select the Best Windows for Your Home
Frame Type
The most common ones are UPVC or vinyl window frames. UPVC frames are great temperature insulators, as the material hardly conducts any temperature. UPVC is also an excellent humidity-repellent material, another thing you should be looking for when shopping for new window frames.
- They’re also lightweight and rather inexpensive compared to other frames, which makes UPVC one of the top window frame material choices for homeowners. There are hardly any drawbacks when it comes to UPVC frames.
Aluminum window frames are another good choice, especially for humid climates. They do a great job resisting humidity but are better heat conductors than vinyl or wood, which makes them not the best option for extremely hot or cold areas. Aluminum is also one of the lightest window frame materials you can get.
Wood is one of the best frame materials when it comes to insulation. However, it is a more high-maintenance material and doesn’t do too well in humid areas, as it is prone to rot and decay. There are also composite frames, which are wood shavings mixed with resin. These are much cheaper and easier to maintain than solid wood without giving up the attractive aspect.
Besides these types, you can also come across fibreglass frames and various hybrids, the most popular being the wood-clad. However, these are significantly harder to find and more expensive than the ones above.
Glass Selection
Aside from new frames, you’ll have to choose a type of glass for your new windows. The glass is the most important part of making your windows energy efficient. The typical choice is double pane glass, vacuum-sealed and filled with an inert gas like argon to maximize insulation. This construction ensures that the outside temperature and UV rays cannot pass through. It also does a pretty good job of keeping the heat inside the house during the winter months, which should significantly reduce the figure on your electricity bills.
Of course, you can also opt for triple pane glass and denser gases in between them for even greater insulating power. However, these are already above the standard choice range, so prepare to pay at least twice the price. The general rule is that unless you live in an unusually cold or hot area or your windows are exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, you probably don’t need more than double-pane argon-filled glass.
Important 3 Metrics
You should be aware of three metrics when looking for new windows – the E-value, the U-value, and the SHGC. The E-value refers to the window’s energy efficiency, and the U-value measures its resistance to heat loss. SHGC stands for solar heat gain coefficient and refers to the heat that enters a house through the windows. The same rule applies to all these coefficients – the lower the figure, the better.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect windows for your house depends a lot on the area you’re living in and the construction and position of your house. Regarding frames, each material has its advantages and disadvantages, so there is no ideal choice that works just as well for everyone.
You want to make a choice considering the temperature fluctuations, humidity, and amount of sunlight your windows will be exposed to. The same applies to the window glass – it should be able to isolate the outside temperature and sound as much as possible.
In the end, choosing new windows for your house with Trade Windows Online makes things easy and affordable, with custom-made windows delivered in 10 days.
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