More homeowners are becoming more aware of the benefits of energy efficiency. According to a recent study conducted by The Demand Institute, energy efficiency is the top concern among homeowners across North America, outranking privacy, affordability, and safety.
Fortunately, the right replacement windows can improve energy efficiency.
What is Energy Efficiency?
Energy-efficient homes should be able to achieve the same tasks but with less consumed energy. For example, a LED bulb and a traditional incandescent bulb can provide the same amount of lighting, but the LED bulb uses only a fraction of the energy. This makes the LED bulb more energy-efficient. Note that this is different from simply turning off the light; while it did reduce energy consumption, it didn’t complete the task, which is lighting the room.
When applied on a bigger scale, this includes every household utility that consumes energy on a daily basis: indoor lighting, consumer electronics, and your heating and cooling systems. With consumer electronics becoming more affordable, the average household, according to the same study, now consumes 56% more energy since 2000, taking up as much as 38% of the total monthly utility bills
How Can Replacement Windows Help?
As heating and cooling systems consume more energy during winter and summer, the home’s building envelope—the attic, exterior walls, and fenestrations (windows, doors, and skylights)—should be well-insulated to prevent thermal transfer. Conventional insulation does the job for the attic, walls, and doors. Windows, however, are a different matter. Because glass is a naturally conductive material, it’s easy for heat to pass through it. In fact, every single-glazed window has this problem: it’s a freeway for thermal transfer. Which is why energy efficiency is an important factor when choosing what kind of window replacement to buy.
Energy-efficient windows, such as those we offer at Renewal by Andersen®, feature insulated Fibrex® material frames and dual-panel High-Performance™ Low-E4® glass options. Heat travels through air molecules; by inserting a layer of vacuum between both panes, thermal loss is drastically reduced. This reduces your heating and cooling requirements, which improves your home’s energy-efficiency and reduces your utility bills in turn.
Renewal by Andersen® of New Jersey and New York Metro serves New Jersey and nearby areas. To know more about how our replacement windows and patio doors can help improve your home’s energy efficiency, call us today at (201) 208-9818 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free in-home consultation.
