ENERGY EFFICIENCY

When cold weather hits, owners of new and old homes call us for a solution to the house that never gets quite warm enough. Our storm windows add a layer of insulation over window openings along with reducing cold air drafts. Most methods of manufacturing aluminum storm windows made use of small pins that hold the glass and screen panels against the frame. This method did not generally allow easy operation, a tight seal, or did it hold up well over time. Our most commonly installed residential storm windows do not reply on pins but rather have a fully pocketed frame and are gasketed on both sides of the moveable panels. This improves both on infiltration losses (up to 400%) and achieves a wind protection rating of 95 mph.

Secondly, the U-Value of a wooden window unit is always improved by the addition of a storm window. U-Values measure the “insulating” efficiency of the unit and happens to be the inverse of what is known as the R-Value. One study (ht) cited the U-Value of a basic single pane wooden window as 1.25 (or R 0.80). When coupled with a storm window with clear glass, this value drops to .50 (or R 2.00). Just that change improves the insulation efficiency of a wooden window by 150%. Add the optional Low E coating to the storm window glass and the results are even better. It is no wonder that our customers are so pleased with the comfort level achieved after installation is complete.