When you’re looking for ways to lower your energy bills, windows are an often overlooked factor in how much you’re paying. You may not even know how faulty windows can raise your energy expenses. They can do this because windows are one of the most common areas of your house for air to escape through. Fortunately, energy-efficient windows are an excellent way to lower your energy bills and secure the air inside your home. 

What Are Energy-Efficient Windows?

Energy-efficient windows are specially designed with increased insulation. They are double-glazed with an extra layer which is very hard for air to penetrate, making it so that the amount of energy that seeps out of your home is instantly reduced simply by the nature of their make. Windows with multiple panes of glass are more energy efficient than single-paned windows, because they provide more of a barrier between the inside and outside of your home.

How Do Energy-Efficient Windows Reduce Energy Bills?

These windows are made to keep out drafts and eliminate risk of condensation. With how much energy can escape through your windows, this can result in spiking energy bills. This is because you are having to overcompensate for the energy lost through cranking up your air conditioning in the summer months and your heater during the winter months in order to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Because you are having to use your HVAC system more, this means that you are having to pay more than you normally would. 

Because of how energy-efficient windows are constructed, this means that they are better suited to keeping inside air from escaping your home and outside air from infiltrating it than your average windows. This ensures that your air-conditioned air won’t leak out during the summer months and that your heated air stays inside where it belongs during the cold winter months. Thus, these windows end up saving you money on your bills. 

How To Choose Energy-Efficient Windows

When you are looking for energy-efficient windows, you want to check their energy-performance ratings in order to ensure that you are receiving the best quality windows for your home in order to obtain optimal savings on your energy bills. One way to ensure you are receiving the best quality windows is to look for the ENERGY STAR sticker.

ENERGY STAR is a government-backed trademark, so any windows with an ENERGY STAR sticker will show that they are a reliable energy-efficient window. This is because in order for a window to be ENERGY STAR rated, it has to have multiple factors that play a role in how they perform. 

Here are the categories necessary for a window to be ENERGY STAR rated:

• U-Factor

This refers to how much energy can be lost through the windows. A good U-Factor is a low U-Factor. 

• Air Leakage (AL)

Though it may sound the same as the U-Factor, this category refers to how much air leaks through the joints and seals of the window. An ENERGY STAR rated window has a low air leakage value.

• Condensation Resistance Factor (CRF)

This category measures the likelihood of the window to resist condensation. For a window to be truly energy efficient, it needs a high condensation resistance factor.

• Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

This is how much solar radiation can come through the window. You want this to be low.

• Visible Transmittance (VT)

This category refers to how much light your windows let into your home. This category should have a high factor.

Additional Benefits 

In addition to lowering your energy bills, these windows have multiple other benefits. They are environmentally friendly, due to how they reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that can result from overuse of your HVAC system. Since they reduce how many UV rays can get into your home, this means that they also prevent your furniture and carpet and the like from fading as quickly.

These windows are also wonderful for noise insulation, making the interior of your home a more comfortable, peaceful place. Because energy-efficient windows have so many benefits and reduce how much people would end up spending on energy expenses, they also increase the value of your home, so that when it comes time to sell, your home will be worth more than it was before you have these windows. 

Do You Need Energy-Efficient Windows?

Peak Windows offers ENERGY STAR rated windows so that you can rest assured you are receiving the best quality for your money. We manufacture our windows in house, so your windows will be top-tier, and our professionals can install them for you. If you have any questions about energy-efficient windows or any of our other services, contact us at Peak Windows today!