Will Gas-Filled Or Low-E-Coated Windows Give You More Value For Your Money?

Heat gain during the summer months is one of the biggest culprits for driving up your cooling costs. They are a perennial weak spot in a home's insulations envelope. Ergo, if you are looking for a way to reduce your utility costs, spending money on replacing old windows with highly energy efficient windows is a good place to start. You will have a choice between windows filled with a noble gas, such as argon, windows coated with an energy-efficient film or both. Deciding which option gives you the best value depends on figuring out which gives you the best value for your money. 

An Analysis of Fill Gas

A double-pane window filled with atmospheric gas will have a U-factor of .67 and argon-filled windows will have a U-factor of .64. What does this mean? Basically, the U-factor of a window is a measure of its resistance to thermal conductivity. To understand what the number means, just remember that the closer the number is to 0, the less heat is transferred through the window. As the above numbers show, argon-filled windows are only four hundredths more thermally efficient than windows filled with atmospheric gas. For the money you pay, this is not much of a jump. While krypton gas will give you better insulation than argon, and xenon will give you better insulation still, they also cost more. Thus, if you are looking for a cost-effective way to reduce heating and cooling costs, there are better options.

An Analysis of Low-E Films

No matter what fill gas you use in your windows, they will do nothing to stop the sun's UV rays from entering your house. Once inside, these rays will heat up the surfaces they fall on, which surfaces will then heat up your home. Strictly speaking, low-e films, also known as energy-efficient coatings, do not insulate a home. Instead, they reflect the sun's UV rays before they have a chance to heat up your home. Thus, they stop your home from heating up, so your AC unit runs less. Some films can also reflect heat from you furnace back into your home during the winter, so you spend less on heating. In fact, a good window film can save you 23% on cooling costs and up to 25% on heating costs. 

As a homeowner looking to reduce heating and cooling costs, you should consider which option gives you the best value for your money. In terms of cost-effectiveness, low-e windows coatings are less expensive than noble fill gases; therefore, they give you the best value for your money. However, if you have the money to spend, buying windows filled with a noble gas and coated with a low-e film will give you the best protection that money can buy. Contact a residential glass replacement specialist for more information.