Posted by: Joe on April 21, 2000 at 11:56:00

In Reply to: Vinyl Replacment Window Types Posted by: J.P. on April 21, 2000 at 04:27:52

I have seen several different vendors to price windows. Each has used a heat lamp shining through the window to show how their best window passes the least heat. Is this heat lamp test a valid reason to spend the extra money for their best model? Is the window really more efficient in real life and worth the extra money?

Answer:
Low E glass is hardly worth the overall savings in heat/cooling loss. Using low E windows by all manufacturers standards will save you maybe 10% in btu loss per year.

This usually means it will take you at LEAST 10-15 years before the windows actually pay for the low E in the first place, and start saving you money.

The problem is that at 10-15 years the windows themselves need to be replaced.

Low E is a gimmick that takes the money from the utility and puts it in the pocket of the window manufacturer with no benefit to the consumer.

J