Energy Facts

Are You Throwing Money Out The Window?

Doors and windows in your home lose energy in a variety of ways …

Conduction: In the winter, cold air literally pulls the heat from your home. Heat is absorbed through the window by the cold air outside. [arrow A]

Radiance: In the summer, direct (solar) radiation pours into your home and warms the air inside. [arrow B]

Infiltration: In all seasons, air moves in and out of your home through tiny cracks and crevices around your windows and doors. (A 1/16″ gap around a window amounts to a hole the size of a brick!) [arrow C]

Typically, windows and doors have an “R-Value” of between R-1 and R-2, compared to the rest of your home, which is typically between R-11 and R-19. Since most building codes require approximately 25% of outside walls to be windows and doors (for light, ventilation, and fire escape), that means 25% of your home is not insulated the way it should be. And it’s costing you money!

Do Something About The Weather

Reduce energy loss in your home by increasing the quality of your windows and doors.

You can tell almost everything you need to know about a window’s performance by looking at its “NFRC label”. Adopted by the National Fenestration Rating Council in 1998, this label is affixed to windows voluntarily by manufacturers concerned about energy efficiency. If a window does not have this label, chances are you’re not dealing with a reputable manufacturer.

U-Factor: The inverse of “R-Value” (which measures insulating value), the U-Factor measures how easily heat flows through the product. The lower the number, the better it keeps heat where you want it. In cold climates, look for a U-Factor of 0.35 or lower.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC): The SHGC tells you how much heat radiation from sunlight a window lets in. If heating your home is your main concern, a higher SHGC can help offset some of the heating costs. In warmer climates, where air-conditioning costs are a bigger factor, look for a lower number.

Visible Transmittance (VT): The Visible Transmittance number indicates the amount of light that passes through the glass (refers to brightness, as opposed to heat). A higher number means a brighter room.

Air Leakage (AL): The Air Leakage rating refers to the amount of air that can infiltrate cracks in the window assembly. The lower the number, the less infiltration. Look for windows with an AL rating of 0.30 or less.

Res/Non-Res: The NFRC label contains data for “Residential” and “Non-Residential” (industrial) windows. When shopping for windows for your home, be sure to compare the “Res” numbers.

What Goes Up Doesn’t Always Come Down!

Due to a wide variety of market factors (some controllable, some not), energy prices have often fluctuated wildly over time. (Anybody who puts gas in their car can tell you that!) Unfortunately, despite this fluctuation, the long-term, overall trend is still up, up, UP!

To give you an idea of just how important saving energy is to your family’s financial well-being, take a look at this graph of the average Illinois residential natural gas price since 1967 (dollars per 1,000 cubic feet):

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