Cooling Your Home: 4 ways Energy Efficient Windows help Stop the Summer Swelter

On the west coast we all know that a well insulated home makes the winter months a less frigid experience. As such we focus on some of the basics: double paned glass, blocking any air leakage, and insulating materials.

However, did you know that many of these same techniques could keep your home from becoming a sauna during the dog days of summer?

1. Low-E Glass

Emissivity is a measurement of the ability of a material to emit energy by radiation. Low emissivity (or low-E) glass has higher energy reflectivity, bouncing more heat back. This means that in the winter the heat in your home stays in, and in the summer the heat stays out.

In fact, the specific glass used in our Enertech windows reduces window heat gain by 64%, compared to normal glass, and stops 95% of harmful UV rays.

2. Argon Insulation

Argon is a safe, inert, heavy and downright invisible gas. It is so clear, and so heavy, that objects placed on it look as if they are floating on air.

Argon’s density and low visibility makes it a perfect material for filling window panes, as it insulates against convection heat loss, while keeping windows crystal clear. This means that hot outside air doesn’t radiate through your windows and warm your home.

3. Insulating Spacers

So you have heat reflective glass. Great. What about the areas around it?

Silicon foam double sealed spacers block heat radiation through the edges of your windows. This way, you don’t get heat creep through your window frame.

4. Weather Stripping & Low Conductivity Frames

Don’t forget your frames! Low conductivity frames allow less heat to pass around the window, preventing heat from radiating through the frame. Multi-compartment frame design and weather stripping can then add further pockets of air between materials, blocking heat transfer.

Keeping your home cool often takes the same technology as keeping it warm. By using windows with the above characteristics you can keep your cooling bills down in the summer, as well as the winter.