Summary: The performance of vinyl windows is affected by each of its components. Vinyl replacement window quality varies with the manufacturers. For purchase of the highest quality of vinyl windows, make sure that these products have such certified standard labels of NFRS, NWWDA, AAMA and Energy Star. High caliber energy efficiency is provided by Energy Star or NFRC certified vinyl windows.
Buying Vinyl Windows
It is indeed very uncomfortable to have cold drafts through your windows in winter. The cold drafts could be caused directly due to air leak because of old technology glass and/or inferior weather stripping. Both these causes for cold drafts can be overcome by purchasing new vinyl windows from a local supplier. When you go to but vinyl windows, the sales presentation will normally be polished, and not all the claims that are made by these salespeople are often exaggerated or at times not the truth. How then can one decide on the quality? It is not as difficult as you may feel.
Features to look for
What contribute to the performance of a vinyl window are all its parts. For instance, the window with the best titanium oxide makes sure that the actual vinyl does not crack and fade. It also prevents ultraviolet (UV) radiation by absorbing and blocking them.
You might think that every kind of glass is anyway glass. Far from it! Insulated glass moved ahead in its development from its initial standard insulated glass to the hard coat Low E. Later there was the soft coat Low E and now there is the Low E with invisible heat films.
The inner glass temperatures are directly affected by a spacer which separates the two pieces of glass. Earlier spacers were manufactured from aluminum. But then aluminum conducts heat as well as cold. This energy transfer was a disadvantage which has been slowed down with the introduction of new plastic and steel spacers. This was a positive step.
Vinyl window frame and sash actually come with variations in efficiency and type. While some windows have a large number of chambers, others have fewer. Some are foam filled while others are hollow.
How does not remember all these details? How does one make a good deal?
Vinyl Window - Independent Testing
All product categories have good manufacturers. These manufacturers aim to ensure good product quality providing great value for money to the consumer.
The vinyl industry too is similar. The industry products range from the very poor to the outstanding. The better manufacturers came together to set quantitatively measurable standards of high quality which can be tested in order to set standards for the industry itself.
There are three organizations that do the testing. The standards are defined with technical parameters. The methods of testing as well as their results are something which ordinary persons will find difficult to understand. The engineers manage them but when the test data is charted and refine, it becomes understandable to an average person.
The three organizations which conduct the testing are AAMA - NWWDA (American Architectural Manufacturers Association - Window & Door Manufacturers Association), Energy Star, and NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council). A vinyl window manufacturer attempting to get their product tested by any of these three organizations is itself an indicator of the manufacturer’s desire to reach certain set industry standards. Passing the tests and getting the product certified is a great achievement for the company. If a company has products that has passed the tests and received certification from one or more or all of them, then you are sure that the product is great. Energy Star or NFRC certified products are best suited for you if you are actually want to buy a window whose energy savings are the best.
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