Energy Smart Design

 Do you have a drafty window? Do you find yourself getting busy with all sorts of tricks with the windows just to keep your home warm or cool? Do you see visible cracks or gaps? Are your problems with the windows and/or doors related to the usual wear and tear or are these all signs of improper insulation? If any of the questions above are troubling you, there is a strong likelihood that these problems are costing you some 30% heat loss in your household. Invariably, you may be inadvertently footing bigger than necessary utility bills as your home cooling and heating systems go into overdrive in order to compensate for the heat loss. The reality is that you can prevent this heat loss as well as those big bills by having energy efficient home windows and doors.

Modern technologies have improved by leaps and bounds and as a result, we also see increasingly more energy efficient residential windows and doors being introduced into the market. Old fashion single-pane windows are making way for the modern looking home windows which also score favourably in terms of energy efficiency. Indeed we know have the choice of windows equipped with multiple energy saving coatings and have odourless and colorless gases, like krypton or argon, filled within it in order to further reduce the heat transfer process across the windows.

Thankfully, there are also certification processes in place to make sure these energy-efficient home windows really measure up to the manufacturers’ claims. 

All commercially available windows are subject to scrutiny by a number of American associations and organizations. Chief among them are The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA). The NFRC is a non-profit organization that carries out independent rating and labelling system according to the energy efficiencies of windows, skylights, doors, and attachment products. On the other hand, AAMA’s certification program is broader in scope in that a window product sample must be put through a series of tests to check against its compliance to performance standards such as air and water infiltration at a given pressures, structural soundness, as well as effective deterrence to forced entry. The WDMA, which endorses the Hallmark Certification Program, awards accreditations to products that have been manufactured according to its guidelines and standards. 

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