There are many benefits to replacing the windows or doors in your home and one of the biggest and most popular is the dramatic increase in energy efficiency. Reducing the amount of heat or air conditioning that is lost through poor seals or single paned glass (or the amount of cold or hot air let in from the outside) goes a long way toward reducing your energy usage and bills and, therefore, to protecting and saving the environment. Replacement Andersen windows and doors in Westchester County, NY are industry leading products that can help you achieve these goals.
There are many different ratings that are used to classify the energy efficiency of different components in your home. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has a full listing of energy performance ratings. This set of ratings can help consumers understand how different products function and perform in relation to increasing the efficient use of energy in your home. Their ratings even go so far as to list the specific manufacturer, product and specific features of a product to help you make the most informed decision possible. When you are looking at Andersen windows and doors in Westchester County NY you will see information about three such key rating factors— visible transmittance, the U-Factor and the solar heat gain coefficient.
Visible transmittance, or VT, is essentially a measure of the amount of visible natural light that is transmitted through a specific product. You will see it expressed in a number format with a higher number indicating more light is able to come through and a lower number means less light shines through. The U-Factor is a measure of the amount of heat that is allowed to permeate through a particular product. A lower U-Factor means that a window allows very little heat through. This is what you want as a window’s resistance to overall heat flow is directly related to its insulating ability and therefore its ability to reduct your energy needs. The solar heat gain coefficient, or SHGC, is the factor that measures how efficiently a specific window or door performs in terms of blocking heat from the sun. Just as with theUV Factor, the lower the number, the better the insulating factor. So, the bottom line you need to know when assessing Andersen windows and doors in Westchester County NY is that you want a high number for VT and lower numbers for the U-Factor and the solar heat gain coefficient to obtain the maximum in energy efficiency.
When you shop for your new windows and doors and utilize the ratings as a selection guide, you will know that you are well on your way to dramatically improving the energy efficiency of your home.
