Make windows more Energy Efficient

Temperatures are increasing rapidly during the summer and getting much colder during the winter months. It’s never been more critical to be energy-conscious, especially with rising energy bills. Being energy-conscious starts with little things. Did you know your home windows have a microscopic coating that could be helping you in your efforts, and if you don’t have this coating, it could be costing you hundreds if not thousands of dollars? While home Windows might ordinary and without complexity; This could not be further from the truth. Home window design and structure are relatively sophisticated. Understanding what type of Windows you have before attempting to solve daylighting and energy concerns requires a deeper understanding of the coatings that may be present.

Types of windows found in Homes today –

Home windows are traditionally installed with the lowest cost most easily accessible glass the building contractor can find. Now don’t get me wrong; competent contractors will heed to the guidelines and Energy Efficiency codes specific to the state they are operating in. For example, in the state of California, the defenestration requirements require Low-E windows. In Broad terms, the windows have to be energy-efficient. We will get into Low-E Coatings and their effect on the efficiency of windows later in this article.

Most Windows of homes are dual-pane, meaning that there are two individual pains separated with an air gap or some gas sealed in between the two panes of glass. Dual pane windows are referred to in the industry as insulated windows. Insulated windows are much like a thermos. For example, an insulated thermos is constructed with two thin walls separated by air, connected only at the opening of the bottle. Insulated thermoses ensure that the contents held by the interior wall of the thermos are not affected by the temperature of the outside wall. A non-insulated or single-walled thermos is affected by the exterior temperatures to include your body temp, and ambient temperatures drastically affect the temperature of the contents of the thermos. This phenomenon is just as real with your windows.

In short, homes have single-pane windows, and newer homes built in the mid-90s and Beyond are typically dual-pane insulated windows; for commercial applications, single pane tempered units are more common.

Buy Energy-efficient windows or making windows more efficient –

There are several types of energy-efficient windows. The types of windows installed in a home depend on several factors. Let’s dive into the kind of coatings that make them windows so efficient.

How low E Coating work –

Low E Coatings are manufactured by applying a microscopic silver coating that you can’t even see. In fact, the layer is actually thinner than a human. Low E Coatings are so small that they are measured in a unit called nanometers. For example, a human hair is 75000 nanometers, and by comparison, Low E Coatings are only 115000 nanometers that’s ultra-thin.

Types Of Low E coatings

There are two different types of Low-E Coatings passive and solar control. Passive low E coatings are best used in colder climates because they allow some of the sun’s infrared energy to pass through. Solar control Low E coatings prevent UV and infrared light from passing through while allowing visible light in, these cuttings edge coatings are ideal in mild to hot climates that are more dominated by air conditioning use.

Imagine not having to have your air conditioning on full blast to combat the sun’s infrared energy during the summer, and in the winter imagine being able to harness some of the sun’s warmth by keeping your home warmer by trapping heat in, not to mention maintaining a low energy bill. This all made possible by a coating unseen by the human eye.

What to do if you don’t have windows with a Low E coating?

There are several ways to make your windows more efficient one of the most apparent means of making windows more efficient is by replacing them. But this can be extremely costly. A secondary option would be to add window film to your home there are several different options to include solar control options as well as Low-E coating options. Window tinting technologies have made Leaps and Bounds in terms of longevity and efficiency. There are Low-E coatings that have passed the NFRC specification and ratings that make them just as efficient as Low-E coatings embedded within the glass. Window tinting is a great way to bring older windows up to the level of efficiency of newer windows at a fraction of the cost.

Give us a call at 1-866-883-5580 or visit us at www.rcwindowfilms.com. Or visit any one of the following manufacturer’s websites: SolarGard manufacturing company, Veloce Innovations, Huper Optik USA, 3M, and Madico.