Last Monday we got new windows installed in our house. We wanted to keep them looking like the original historic windows, but needed something better to keep the winter wind & cold out. We got energy efficient low-e argon vinyl windows with muntins inside the double panes to keep the historic look.
They have a .30 U-factor, which determines the rate of heat loss (here in our climate .35 or less is recommended) They have a .19 solar heat gain coefficient (the fraction of solar radiation admitted through a window, expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window's solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits.).
Here are some pictures:
The same window - the first picture is the old, the second is the new. This one's in our dining room.
Here's one of the windows in our living room. First is old, second is new. Notice the old window was covered in plastic to keep the wind out, and it had a piece of cardboard covering a broken pane.
I'm very pleased with the windows - they look just like the old ones to keep up with the historic nature of the house. They'll reduce our AC bills in the summer & our gas bills in the winter (hopefully). They can actually open (the old ones didn't open too well, and if they did open they were missing screens, which let every bug inside when they were open). And if I get really bored, the windows easily swing in to be cleaned!
9 comments:
Our windows look a lot like these. We have had them several years but they look to be about the same and they do save a lot on energy costs but they were expensive too.
I must say that you will like the new ones better than the old ones and you will save money.
Shucks...forgot to tell you that I will post a picture of the only Screech Owl or only owl we have seen here since 1962. We saw this one in 2006 and it was in the squirrel box. The one that I had the other day that showed the raccoon coming out of the hole.
It will be on my birds blog either tomorrow or Sunday.
Pick a Peck of Pixels
Abe - Your squirrel/raccoon/owl box is a busy place! I look forward to seeing the owl pic!
-Lynn
I love your windows! They are beautiful! We got new ones last year,but didn't get the small pains. Congradulations!!
I remember when we got ours. What a difference! And it was such fun to see how fast and efficiently the window guys could do the work to make this big change.
Mary
Mary - Yes, they got them all done in just one day! The windows are very nice - we've been opening them in the evening to let the cooler night breezes in - it's wonderful!
-Lynn
I can completely appreciate new windows. Boy, can I appreciate them! Yours look lovely!
Very nice! They look the same. Lee and I are going to try to keep the same look when we get around to replacing our windows. That of course is going to make them more expensive as we don't have a common window pattern. Grrrrr.
You will have to post after you have had your windows for a while telling us if you can feel a difference in the heat/cool retentions and if you see a difference in the bills. I always hear that you will but is it enough that you feel it?
Robin,
In a previous house which we owned in VA Beach, we replaced all the windows with ones similar to what got got here in MD. We immediately noticed that the light coming thru the windows didn't warm the house. The plants didn't do as well inside the house, either. The cat didn't like it because he used to enjoy laying in the sun. It made a difference in our electric (AC) & gas heating bills, too.
This winter I plan on comparing my bills with those from last winter -I'll post about the difference! I know we went thru an awful lot of oil for heat last winter!
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