How Windows Can Impact Your Home’s Energy Efficiency in Palm Beach, FL
Energy-efficient windows can lower your utility bills, reduce your environmental footprint and even keep you more comfortable throughout the year in Palm Beach, FL. Sound too good to be true? To see how you can to increase your home’s energy efficiency in this way, we need to understand what makes windows so crucial to your home’s energy performance.
The Science of Heat Transfer
The most important factor in a home’s energy efficiency is its thermal envelope. This constitutes all of the structure’s exterior components, including the walls, foundation, roof system, doors and windows. A robust thermal envelope acts as a protective barrier, inhibiting heat transfer between the conditioned living space and the surrounding environment. This helps to maintain stable indoor temperatures regardless of the weather conditions, which means less demand for heating and cooling. Conversely, any gaps or vulnerabilities in this barrier can undermine the efficiency of the entire structure, wasting energy and costing you money.
It’s no surprise that windows are often the weakest points in a home’s thermal envelope. After all, ordinary windows offer very little insulation compared to the walls around them. What is surprising, however, is the sheer amount of heat energy gained and lost each year as a result. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, these losses account for around 25%-30% of the energy the typical household uses annually for climate control. The good news is that these losses are not inevitable. Thanks to clever engineering and premium materials, energy-efficient windows drastically reduce heat transfer in several key ways.
Inhibiting Solar Heat Gain
South Florida is famous for its warm climate, clear skies and sun-drenched beaches. Unfortunately, all that sunny weather can make it more difficult to stay cool even when you’re indoors. When windows are left uncovered, they emit solar radiation into your living space in the form of heat energy. The amount of solar heat that passes through a window is measured by its solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). Conventional windows frequently have values of 0.8 or higher, meaning more than 80% of solar heat is transmitted into your home.
By contrast, modern energy-efficient windows can achieve SHGC values of 0.3 or lower. To do this, they incorporate special low-emissivity (low-E) coatings that reflect infrared radiation while permitting as much visible light as possible. This is especially important for south-facing windows and other windows that receive a lot of direct sunlight. By minimizing solar heat gain, low-E glass can cut cooling-related energy waste by 30%-40% compared to untreated windows.
Slashing Non-Solar Energy Losses
Of course, solar radiation isn’t the only way in which windows impact the overall efficiency of your home. It’s also important to consider non-solar heat transfer, which occurs when there’s a large difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Heat energy naturally moves from warmer to cooler areas, flowing into your home during the summer and escaping during the winter. The degree to which a window can resist non-solar heat transfer is represented by its U-factor. As with SHGC ratings, lower U-factor values indicate better performance.
The Florida Energy Code requires a minimum U-factor of 0.4 for new windows, but lower values may provide greater savings. For optimal efficiency, it’s best to choose double- or triple-pane windows with multi-chambered frames. These features trap insulating air layers inside the window, creating a barrier that significantly reduces heat transfer. Some windows can even be filled with argon gas, which is denser and less thermally conductive than air. Finally, make sure your windows are correctly installed by a trained professional. Improper installation can lead to air leaks and other issues that can undermine even the most efficient and well-made windows.
From ongoing savings to enhanced comfort and quality of life, energy-efficient windows offer an array of valuable benefits. Call Florida Windows and Doors Inc. today for professional installation services featuring world-class windows from PGT, CGI and Eco Window Systems.