Winter In Atlanta...Are Your Windows Ready?

With our first snowfall of the year, we're reminded that Atlanta can still get chilly. Though we don't experience the harsh January weather like our neighbors to the north, the ice and snow that collected over the weekend is enough to make you wonder if your home is equipped to keep you warm.

What makes a window warm? Keeping heat inside your home. A lot of homeowners attribute the cold air that is coming into the home as the main reason their windows are cold. While it is true that cold air does infiltrate drafty single paned windows, heat loss is the biggest reason your home is so cold.

Your heaters are working overtime in the winter (especially those colder days we've had this week) to keep the home at a comfortable 70 degrees or higher. However if your window are not properly insulated, all that heat that your units are producing go literally right out the window!

The home you see in the picture recently had Soft Lite Imperial LS vinyl double hung replacement windows installed. They're double paned, use the best spacer system available (Super Spacer), and have a great thermal rating (.29 U-Value for those interested). Just so you know the lower the U-Value the better and few double paned, low-e, argon windows if any exceed Soft Lite's Imperial LS rating.

We know this family is now experiencing better warmth in their home now because of their new replacement windows. But we also know they'll be cooler in the summer thanks to the way their replacement windows insulate heat. It's a year round investment and one that reduces harmful emissions, saves energy, and gives homes increased comfort and beauty.

Learn more at http://atlantawindows.com

Stay Warm and Cut Heating Costs

You may be one of the many Atlanta homeowners who still owns a home with single paned wood windows. And our warm thoughts and fond memories of the holiday season are not enough to keep the heating bills down and keep you toasty until March. Every winter day, you lose over 75% of your heat to inefficient windows. So your windows are a factor. But now you you can know how the right can windows help.

Air Space

The first element of a warmer window is insulated air space. This also happens to be the first place that single paned windows are lacking. Since all you have in a single paned window is a piece of glass in a wood sash, there’s is no air space to slow down heat loss. In an energy efficient vinyl window, the double paned glass unit creates 7/8”-1” air space filled with inert gas (argon gas in most cases and krypton for that extra boost), that slows heat transference. Remember, when think about your windows, it’s not cold you’re gaining, as much as it is heat you’re losing (thus the cold). A window with an insulated air space greatly increases your windows ability to keep heat in the house where it belongs.

Spacer

The spacer is, simply put, what goes between the two panes of glass. A good spacer does not conduct heat (it keeps heat from passing through the panes of glass) so that your house stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If you’re home has single paned windows there’s no spacer working to keep heat in the home and thereby allowing a ton of heat loss. If you have wood or aluminum windows that use an aluminum spacer, you’re losing heat through the conductivity of aluminum.

You want to have a window that has a warm edge spacer. Although swiggel (the black rubbery stuff you see in many wood windows) is a warm edge spacer (non metallic) it falls short by comparison to the latest technology found in most upper end vinyl windows. Super Spacer, Dura Seal, and even Intercept are a few offerings that help cut down on heat loss. When selecting a vinyl window that will help add warmth to your home chose one that has a spacer system you’ve looked in to and that you believe will give you the best insulation your money can buy.

Frames and Sashes

Lastly for this blog entry we’ll take a quick look at how frames and sashes can contribute to reducing heat loss in the winter. Most vinyl window frames and sashes are already better insulated than wood windows and are far better than aluminum. However, not all vinyl windows are the same. If you want that extra boost of insulation, check and see if the windows you’re looking at have a foam filling in its chambers. It’s somewhat nominal but it makes a difference to have that added filling to keep heat in the home rather than passing through a hollow sash or frame chamber.

Also, if you’re concerned about cold air seeping into the home, take a closer look at the weatherstripping that your vinyl window is equipped with. Does it give you the impression that dust, allergens, and drafts will stay out? Just one more thing to think about if you’re trying to stay warm this winter. Your windows can help you more than you know!

If you’d like to learn more of have questions, contact us at info@atlantawindows.com or call us 770-499-8894 or visit us at http://atlantawindows.com.

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