Energy Efficiency Terms You Should Know

Energy Efficiency Terms You Should Know

September 13, 2016

A highly energy-efficient window makes for a good investment. It will improve living conditions in your home, leading to more energy savings. When looking for an energy-efficient product, it is essential that it comes with the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) seal, which indicates good energy efficiency.

Energy Efficiency

Furthermore, being familiar with the different terms associated with energy efficiency helps a lot when selecting replacement windows in Waukesha. Renewal by Andersen® of Milwaukee discusses some of them.

What is the NFRC?

First, you should be familiar with the organization where these terms originated. The NFRC is a non-profit organization that reassures consumers that they are getting an energy-efficient product. They test, certify, and label an array of fenestration products, such as windows and doors.

Terms

There are many terms associated to energy efficiency, including:

  • U-Factor – This measures the amount of heat from inside your home that can escape. The lower the number, the better your window is at keeping heat indoors.
  • Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) – This can be a number between zero and one. The lower the number, the better your window is at lessening solar heat gain, which is necessary during summer. Make sure to look for this information when checking prospective picture windows in Waukesha.
  • Visible Transmittance (VT) – This measures the amount of light that enters your home. The higher the number, the better your window is in letting natural light indoors.
  • Air Leakage – This measures the amount of air that enters your home. The lower the number, the better your window is at preventing drafts.
  • Condensation Resistance – This is a measurement of how well a product can keep moisture from condensing in your windowpanes. This number can be between one and one hundred. The higher the number, the better the product is at resisting condensation. Take note that this is an optional rating.
  • Water Infiltration – This value measures the amount of water and pressure that the product can resist to make sure water does not seep in. The higher the value, the better the window is at resisting water leakage.
  • ENERGY STAR® – This is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program. It aims to help businesses and consumers save money and protect our climate through ENERGY STAR-rated products.

At Renewal by Andersen of Milwaukee, we take pride in providing you with ENERGY-STAR-certified products. They come with insulating properties that will make your home more energy-efficient. For instance, our double hung window in Waukesha feature our Fibrex® frame composite that offers superior insulation.

It also comes with High-Performance™ Low-E4® glass that can help keep your home cooler, lessening your reliance on your HVAC units, which can drive up your energy bills. Couple these with our airtight installation and you have the assurance of enjoying the benefits of a highly energy-efficient product.

Call us today at (877) 977-3639 to learn more about energy efficiency.

Hear From Our Customers

This was a great crew to work with. Both the original install manager we worked with (Jay) and the install team (Daniel, Mason, Tony, Ethan, and Jose). Everyone was very professional and knowledgable. They answered all my questions and the end result on the house is great. In 3 days they replaced an old bay window with a new bay window, a set of french doors on the patio with a sliding patio door, and our old front door with a new front door and storm door.

Jason and Brett did an awesome job installing our doors. We had separate installers a month earlier for our windows who also did a fantastic job. They were all very professional and cleaned up almost better than the area looked before the installation! Since these were both jobs that took more than one day the installers were great at keeping us informed on the status of where the project was at along the way.

I cant express how happy we are with choosing Andersen for our window installation. Our sales representative was knowledgeable with product and answered any questions we had without hesitation. I did also fill out a survey that was sent in an email, but sadly I failed to personally name the two gentlemen that performed the actual installation. Barrett and Francisco were our guys, and let me tell you, they were outstanding!!! They did Excellent work and were professional as well as efficient and made this a smooth, none evasive process for us. I strongly recommend this company and these installers to anyone in need of windows!!! My husband and I could not be more pleased we chose Andersen for replacing our windows!!!

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Since its founding in 1977, the Alliance to Save Energy has been a leader in energy efficiency policy and advocacy. Over the years, the Alliance’s programs and priorities have evolved as U.S. energy efficiency policy has grown.