When you’re ready to replace the existing windows in your Long Island home, you’ll want to learn everything you can about replacement windows before you finalize the deal. At Renewal by Andersen of Long Island, we understand how important it is for our customers to be fully-informed before they invest their hard-earned money.
So, here are a few facts to help you start the journey toward a more beautiful, functional home.
You can learn a great deal about your new windows just by reading the label. In the same way that packaged food labels provide valuable information about the contents – calories, carbs, protein, sodium content – and how eating the food will affect your body, a replacement window label tells you how the window will impact the overall energy-efficiency in your home.
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) provides consumers with information about a window unit’s energy-efficiency and functionality. The label reveals how effectively the unit controls air leaks, visible light transmission and solar heat gain. If you visit the NFRC website you’ll learn the differences between U-factor and R-factor ratings and how each component from the framing material and glass options to weather stripping and design influence ratings. Your professional replacement window consultant can give you more information or you can read this article we published earlier.
There are some unscrupulous window dealers in our area that will tell you that more window panes per window means you’ll save more money. While it is true that double-pane windows dramatically improve energy-efficiency compared to older, single-pane styles, installing triple-pane windows in our area won’t significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills enough to make back the extra investment because triple-pane window units are usually much more expensive than double-pane options. That third panel is more beneficial for people living in areas that experience prolonged periods of sub-zero temperatures or routinely have many consecutive days where the high temp exceeds 100 degrees.
It’s much more important for Long Island residents to make sure their replacement windows have Energy-Star certified Low-E glass options, Fibrex composite frames and inert gas between the panes than add a third panel.
Warm weather is here and you may have already gone through the arduous task of removing and storing your storm windows. In a few months, you’ll have to drag them out and manhandle them into place again. High-quality replacement windows and patio doors eliminate the need for storm windows. Your new home windows are designed to block air and moisture leaks throughout the seasons without any additional help. You’ll probably still want to install insect screens so you won’t have to worry about flying gnats and no-see-ums coming in whenever you want to enjoy an evening breeze or air out the house. Plus, with tilt-in and lift out design features, cleaning your windows is so easy you won’t dread window washing day.
Precision matters when it comes to getting the most out of your new home windows. Because replacement windows are manufactured to exactly fit the opening left when we remove your current windows, some people think they might be able to save a little money by shopping around for a contractor to install their windows. In reality, this is usually an unwise decision, even if you could find a “cheap contractor” or do it yourself. Even a fraction of an inch can result in a window being out of square or unlevel which can lead to problems with your window’s operation and long-term durability. Failing to properly install flashing or drip caps can literally ruin your windows. And, you have to make sure to choose the proper insulation to boost energy-efficiency and prevent air and moisture leaks. Missing any one of the dozens of installation steps can void your manufacturer’s window warranty.
At Renewal by Andersen of Long Island, we never leave such an important process to someone we can’t trust completely. We carefully train our professional installers and back the installation with a full two-year warranty. This means parts and labor are covered against manufacturing defects so if anything goes wrong or an issue develops you just need to call us and we’ll make it right.
This article just covers the basics. If you have more questions about comparing replacement windows and patio doors for your Long Island home, call (866) 609-5033 for a free window design consultation. If you’d prefer, just fill in the short form on this page and let us know a convenient time to call you back to schedule an in-home consultation so we can measure your windows and give you a no-obligation price quote for updating your home.
Learn Everything You Need to Know BEFORE Buying Replacement Windows
