Replacement Windows Buying Guide

Windows play a key role in our homes. Windows allows fresh air, light and ventilation inside, but they are often taken for granted. Windows contribute to the general beauty of a home, thus choosing the right style that suits your house is of paramount importance. However, many homeowners often have a hard time choosing between wood, aluminum, and vinyl replacement windows. This article will address the several ways in which wood, aluminum, and vinyl are different and how they are similar.

Wood Windows

Pros: Whether you live in an old home or contemporary home, wood replacement windows offer a variety of colors, finishes, and styles to meet your specific preference or taste. Many homeowners are often tempted to opt for vinyl because of its low cost. Before you make such a decision, consider the initial cost versus long term benefits. Wood windows are more durable than vinyl and therefore provide more value for your money. Moreover, wood is an excellent insulator, making it extremely energy efficient.

Cons:  Wood was once an organic material. If not given proper care, it can start to rot while it is still installed in your home. You will need to keep mold and water off of your wood windows to ensure they remain in good condition.

Vinyl Windows

Pros: Vinyl replacement windows are made mostly of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) together with some other types of plastics. Vinyl windows do not need any staining or painting on the outside or inside of the house, eliminating the need for serious maintenance. Also, vinyl is relatively cheaper when compared to wood windows, and is a poor conductor of heat. PVC windows are the most popular replacement window options available right now. Their low maintenance requirement, high energy efficiency, durability, and low cost make them the best choice for the majority of homeowners who are shopping for replacement windows.

Cons:  Vinyl material may be a threat to the environment as polyvinyl chloride releases poisonous dioxin when exposed to fire. Furthermore, you cannot paint vinyl windows into the colors of your choice, thus finding the exact color that matches the style of your home may not be easy.

Aluminum Windows

Pros: Aluminum windows can be designed to meet or exceed energy efficiency standards. High performance aluminum replacement windows can improve energy efficiency by a large percentage. Aluminum requires less maintenance because it is resistant to corrosion and weathering, and can withstand extreme weather conditions. Additionally, aluminum can be easily manipulated into virtually any shape to meet your tastes. With an endless assortment of finishes, glass options and designs, aluminum offers a variety of possibilities from the cheap to most sophisticated window systems.

Cons: The main issue with aluminum is that it doesn’t offer excellent thermal efficiency. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat, thus aluminum windows may not work marvelously in extremely hot or cold climates.            

What are the Benefits of Argon Gas Replacement Windows?

When it comes to purchasing replacement windows, one of the main concerns for most homeowners, besides the style and the design selected, is how efficient the windows are. It is obvious that most people purchase replacement windows for energy saving purposes. Argon gas is used in modern replacement windows. Argon provides energy-efficiency, hence reducing heating and cooling bills.
 

Argon is one of the noble gases that make an important part of energy efficient windows. Argon gas is about 30% heavier than air and transfers approximately 48% less heat than air. For this reason, it is used to make a barrier to prevent heat transfer. Noise, as well as heat energy, has a difficult time moving through Argon.
 

Argon gas makes about 1.28% of the air we breathe, and is the third most common gas in the atmosphere. It is inflammable and nonreactive. Argon is odorless, colorless and absolutely nontoxic as a liquid, solid, or gas. It is totally harmless. Even if the window breaks, there is no need to panic at all since the gas is completely safe.
 

Xenon and krypton are also noble gases, but they are slightly heavier than argon. Although Krypton is also used in windows, it is quite expensive to produce. Thus, when it comes to replacement windows, Argon is the most preferred inert gas. The measure of thermal resistance or incremental R-Value that shows the level of energy efficiency may improve the performance of your windows. Adding an Argon gas to the panes of the window may help top boost energy efficiency as it minimizes solar heat gain.
 

While replacement windows filled with argon gas are expensive, the extra costs for these windows are usually offset by their long term benefits. In other words, the energy savings you will enjoy in the future will eventually cover the huge money used to purchase these windows. The amount you will save on heating costs over the course of their lifetime is more than worth the initial cost.

Unlike other systems of measurements such as U-value and R-value, windows with argon gas are capable of limiting leakages. For example, during the summer, windows featuring argon will keep the air inside the house cool. In the winter seasons, these windows will keep warm air inside the home saving on cooling bills.

Argon Gas Replacement Windows

Today, many replacement windows include argon gas as an insulating material which is filled in between the panes of a window. Adding argon gas in replacement windows increases the overall efficiency of your home.
 

Technically speaking, argon gas is an odorless, colorless, invisible noble gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It is non-toxic, nonflammable, and completely safe. This is an inert gas, meaning it doesn’t form true chemical compounds as opposed to other noble gasses (krypton, neon, xenon and helium).
 

In addition to improving the thermal performance of replacement windows by reducing heat transfer between the panes, argon is also used in radio tubes, gas-filled electric bulbs and in production of metals such as zirconium, uranium and titanium.
 

Originally, the space between the window panes was filled with dry air or nitrogen. The panes were airtight in the window sash. The double-panes or triple panes provided a form of insulation. Nevertheless, this method proved ineffective as air currents in the panes pushed any heat to the top of the unit, leaving cold air at the bottom. But argon gas is a slower-moving and less conductive gas. When pumped between the double or triple panes, it reduces conduction and lowers the convection currents through the glass. 
 

Argon windows are super-efficient because it is a heavy gas (about 195% heavier than air). Thus, argon gas is better at retaining heat in your home during the long winter months and keeping cool air in during the warmer months.
 

Argon-filled filled are becoming a more and more popular choice for many homeowners due to several reasons. The following are a few benefits of installing argon-filled windows in your home. Number one, windows filled with argon gas will increase the thermal transmission or U-Value of your windows. The rate of heat transfer is usually measured by what is known as U-Value. The lower the U-Value of a window, the lower the rate of heat transfers through that window. Number two, argon gas can help in limiting condensation in your windows. Number three, it will improve the soundproofing features of your house as well as ensuring the working efficiency of your heating and cooling systems.