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So, someday I hope to either build or upgrade a house. A friend just installed spiffy new windows in her house that have the screen inside the windows. They are really cool, you just open the window and the screen slides along with it!

What would be some choices of good quality, sturdy windows? I know of Pella windows. Any others I should be getting catalogs and product quotes from?

I'd really like to take the next few years and scrounge materials and make good deals, so that when I'm ready to build, I'll already have building materials purchased and waiting.

I'd appreciate your input and thoughts.

I will certainly get double-pane windows again. They work great where I live and on a solar water heater here.

Look at U. of Minn. Efficient Windows Collaborative for window selection information.

Single-pane windows allow about 20% more light in. They also let out three times as much heat all day and all night.

I prefer wood frames, but this is a case where vinyl performs better. Even better is a fiberglass frame since it expands and contracts at the same rate as the glass panes.

All the above matters only if you live someplace cool. Or warm. If your location is comfortable all year round, then features matter more than thermal performance.

My landlord put in some of these windows in our house. He had six windows done and it set him back $4K.

This house has a lot of work before it can be considered energy efficient.
Most of the walls still do not have insulation. (House built in 1920s).
Gas bill runs close to $200 month to heat.

Ouch

Thought I'd share my review of the heat control window film by Gila.

http://www.gilafilms.com/Residential/wi ... atinum.htm

My south facing windows let in a ton of heat during the summer sun and my wife wanted to buy roll down window shades for the patio door and side windows. I was against the shade because I always felt that a dark room was depressing and I liked being able to see outside. I decided to try Gila Window Film which promised to block out 70% of the heat and blocks 99% of UV rays.

I purchased the film at Lowe's and installed with the help of my wife last summer. I have modern sealed double pane windows, but the instructions say that it can be installed on single or double panes too.

Huge difference in the amount of heat that is blocked! I was so impressed with its performance that I installed the film on all of my south facing windows during this winter. Last week on a 92 degree hot and humid day, I was able to close all the windows in the morning, trapping the cool air in the house and then go nearly the whole day without A/C. Only towards the early evening did the house finally heat up and the A/C was used, which cooled down very quickly and ran occasionally in very short spurts. I credit the improvement to the window film.

The only downside that I can see is that if you live in a cold climate you will not experience the warming effect of the sun on a sunny winter day. The film claims that it reflects 55% of winter heat back in, but I’m not so sure that it is enough to offset the loss of solar heating.

I live in Northern Ohio, but I do not have an issue with the loss of solar heat. I run my wood stove and value being cool on a hot and humid 92 degree day over putting on an extra layer in the winter.

This product would be great for those living in mid to southern states were winters are non-existent or very mild.

Overall I’d recommend it as one of the lower cost energy saving items.

I bought something like this at wal-mart for $13 CDN a roll. Its great you can get it in different tints, I got the reflective one but you can get a dark, black looking one. I loved it but make sure you don't clean it with anything other than vinegar and water. No windex etc.

Cool. Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like an inexpensive and easy addition.

gees dbarberic you beat me to it, I was going to post a window tint review topic just as soon as I got some stuff off my plate.

I've installed this window tint from Real Goods (lots of neat stuff in there).

This window tint is rated for 60% sun blocking, 40% indoor heat blocking. I've placed it on my unshaded East and West windows, and so far for the summer part I would say that 60% blocking is correct. Our AC use to be totally over powered by the late afternoon sun resulting in a 4-5C heat rise with the AC fully on. Now the heat rise is only about 1-2C (our AC is very old, but window tint is cheaper than replacing it).

As for the dimming effect of the tint, the tint is a bit darker than regular low-E windows (typically seen in office buildings). It actually gives the rooms a nice amber glow to them. However on cloudy days it can be a bit gloomy (although you get use to it after a while).

This window tint also has the advantage that it does not require an adhesive, and can be removed and re-applied if needed. This also makes removing bubbles no problems if they develope

I have also looked into this tinting (full selection here). This window tint is very effective, however it is also VERY dark. It will turn your window into a one-way mirror. During the day your room is on the see through side, but during the night you are on the mirrored side (great for you narcissists). Their Reflective series of tints are also pretty good for keeping out the sun, but all but the Light silver is pretty dark (get samples before buying)

btw dbarberic, how much effect did your tinting have on the lighting of the room

two tips for putting this stuff on; you are supposed to use a soap solution, its better if its so soapy (not too much mind you) that its more goey than wet. I use pink solution to apply this stuff.

this lets you kind of move it a bit as you are applying it.

tip 2: make sure the window is really clean and the sun isn't hot and shining brightly the day you do it. then use a wet sponge with more soap on it to wipe the bubbles out from under it.

uNkNowN ElEmEnt wrote:two tips for putting this stuff on;

my stuff recommended glass cleaner to apply it and definately "the more the better"

and you're right once the sun hits the window, you're kinda screwed, so Time your job or wait for a cloudy day

FoxV wrote:btw dbarberic, how much effect did your tinting have on the lighting of the room

The lighting of the room was only slightly dimmed during the day. Looking through the windows it gives the look of polorized sun glasses (blues are bluer and greens are greener). The most noticable difference is at dusk and night.

The tint makes the outside look like it is much darker at dusk; like the sun has set ealier. At night, your windows become more reflective from inside looking out. So it is difficult to see outside. For example I have a motion sensitive floodlight that lights up my whole backyard. When it kicks on, I can still barely see outside through the windows.

I only had to install the tint on my southern windows. My northern windows never get direct sunlight and my east windows are shaded by trees. My biggest bang for the buck was keeping the direct sun out of my southern windows.

The Gila Platinum Heat Control that I recommended is rated as Energy Star.

We used to use something like this on a south-facing sunroom during summer months. It worked well.

We live in a warm climate, I can definitely feel a benefit to the film. I applied it to the south and west facing windows, as it helps keep the hot summer sun from overheating the house.

As for applying it, I used baby shampoo/water solution, and it worked well. The real tricky part for me was getting the window completely clean, so you don't have little pieces of lint between the film and the glass when it dries. I used coffee filters during cleaning, which worked well.

Does anyone know of a good way to keep heat from escaping through windows? This would be for New England winters. I've heard that two panes filled with argon is a very effective insulator, but is this true or are there easier ways to insulate the windows?

I use some of that shrinking plastic stuff on north windows in our house. Insulated curtains are supposed to work well also.

Anyone know if we can get this in the UK?

The house I rent has metal-framed windows. For last winter, I used clear plastic sheeting stapled to the wooden frames around the windows to insulate them. I also taped strips of bubble-wrap against the lower metal parts on the inside. I would have covered the entire inside of the windows with more plastic sheeting, but I was afraid of trapping condensation (which would promote the formation of mold or mildew).

What additional insulation can I add to the inside of the windows without trapping the moisture?

I used a plastic sheeting kit but with double sided tape for a complete seal, didn't have moisture problems myself. The windows were so crap that the plastic would actually balloon out with the air pressure from the cold outside! I heard a very small hole is enough to let any condensation escape. Or maybe you could put some silica on the window sill inside the plastic to absorb moisture?

If your inside plastic is well sealed to the window frame there should be no way for moisture to get into the space between the window and the plastic--any condensation showing up, more than just a little in a corner of the window, would be an indication that you have a leak from the moist interior of the house into the colder space where it can then condense on the glass.

In the situation that you describe, I would probably tape plastic over both the outside and inside of each window---and remove it in spring, of course.

WisJim wrote:If your inside plastic is well sealed to the window frame there should be no way for moisture to get into the space between the window and the plastic--any condensation showing up, more than just a little in a corner of the window, would be an indication that you have a leak from the moist interior of the house into the colder space where it can then condense on the glass.

In the situation that you describe, I would probably tape plastic over both the outside and inside of each window---and remove it in spring, of course.

what he said.