If you are building a new house or planning to renovate an old one, you are probably already considering energy-efficient windows, but just in case you have not yet decided on them as the final choice, here are a few reasons as to why you need energy-efficient windows in your home.
They Do Not Allow Harmful Ultraviolet Rays to Enter
One of the staple features of any high-quality energy efficient window is that it stops almost all of the harmful UV rays present in sunlight from entering your home via the window glass. This is made possible because these windows are fitted with glass that has a low-emissivity coating (low-e). The emissivity of the glass refers to the amount of UV and infrared rays which can pass through the glass, without obstructing the actual sunlight.
Low-Emissivity Makes Your Home Cooler Naturally
Low-e coatings help to keep your home cooler, and that is one of the reasons why they are known as energy-efficient in the first place of course. When the coating is on the outside of the window glass, the heat energy is reflected back in order to prevent it from heating up the surface of the window and, subsequently, the room. This means that you will not need to turn on the air-conditioner as often, which would contribute greatly towards cutting down the electricity bills.
Energy-Efficient Windows Make Rooms More Comfortable During the Winter
Just as the reflective low-e coating on the window glass helps in keeping a room cool, the same technology can be used to keep a room from becoming too cold during the winter months as well. However, the reflective coating needs to be on the inside of the glass so that it can reflect back the heat that’s already inside the room and stop it from escaping through the glass. In order for this to work, the windows should be kept open during peak sunlight hours and closed soon after.
Can Some Windows be More Energy-Efficient than Others?
The short answer is yes, some windows most certainly can be more power-efficient than others and you should be looking to buy a product with an applicable, high energy rating certification. While it is true that in the UK, all building parts, including windows can be sold only if they have at least some sort of energy-efficiency, specialised products generally carry a much higher energy rating and, therefore, save more money.
It is worth noting that how much money and energy your windows will end up saving you depends on a lot of variables such as the insulation of the roof, the walls, the outside temperature and the location of the house in question. Nevertheless, they are an essential part of making the entire home power-efficient and not installing them could lead to the “heat/cold pocket” phenomenon; which are spots or entire rooms within the same house that are hotter or colder than the rest of the interior space.