For those of us who have lived in northern climates, cold spells bring back old memories of shoveling sidewalks and fixing broken pipes. Fortunately in Texas warmer climate prevails, but this does not prevent unpleasant effects when temperatures occasionally drop below freezing. During such episodes Texas homes may become uncomfortable as central heating systems struggle against outdoor air leaking into the home through drafty walls and windows. The reverse may happen in summers with sustained triple digit highs, as precious cooled air escapes to mingle with the brutally hot outdoor air. Not only do temperature extremes expose the weaknesses in a home's ability to be comfortable, but the pocket book is hit with higher utility bills.

If you are ready to improve your home’s energy efficiency, then start with windows, insulation, and your air conditioning and heating system. Of these three, window selection seems to be the most challenging for our clients to decipher. As required by building code, insulated glass windows are standard and come with a metallic low emissivity (low-e) coating on the inner pane to allow light in while keeping out much of the sun’s heat energy. The air space is filled with argon or krypton, inert gases with lower conductivity than air, as additional insulation. Beyond that, many styles and materials are available from a multitude of manufacturers.

Windows can be made from aluminum, solid wood (usually white pine), vinyl, and fiberglass. For increased durability, wood windows can be clad on the outside with aluminum, vinyl, or fiberglass. Each window comes with pros and cons when considering aesthetics, durability, and cost.

Aluminum

Vinyl

Wood

Clad Wood

Here are some fundamentals:

Window Size & Location-It is important to minimize the amount of glass exposed on the West side of the home, as our late afternoon sun is so intense. North facing glass usually avoids direct sun, but gets hit with Winter winds. Properly sized overhangs on the remaining sides of the home reduce heat gain during the hotter months.

Budget-Windows can be one of the single most expensive budget items in a renovation/addition and careful consideration must be made to weigh the upfront costs with the energy savings over time. Immediate savings can be realized by installing high quality windows and cutting down on the size of the HVAC unit.