08/30/2024
When building a home, picking the right window is incredibly important. In an average home, 18% of your walls are windows! Let's break down the sticker. U-value is a measure of thermal transmittance. More simply, it's just the inverse of R-values we're all more familiar with. Simply divide 1 by the U-value to convert. For the sticker pictured 1/.27 gives us an R-value of 3.7. The lower the U value, the higher performing your window is. Solar heart gain is a measure of how much radiant heat the window allows to pass through. In our northern high heat demand climates, we want the free solar heat in the winter so a higher number is a good thing. While you may spend a little more in the summer to cool your home, in the winter, your heating bills will be reduced by a greater amount, leading to a net savings overall. The map indicates the zones the window Energy Star certified for. In this example, the windows are not rated for southern climates. This is because southern states benefit from much lower solar heat gains because they spend most of the year cooling their homes. Climate matters and must be considered when choosing windows! BEACON helps builders and their clients choose the right products and can provide REAL energy savings estimates so you get the most value from your energy efficiency decisions.
