Staying on top of your home’s energy efficiency is vital for your homes comfort levels and your energy spending, as well as the environment. Though they may seem trivial, the replacement windows on your Sacramento, CA home have a big impact on your home’s energy efficiency. After all, windows are really just holes in your home’s insulation. Therefore, you want to make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible for maximum savings and minimum environmental impact; you need energy efficient replacement windows.
How do you find energy efficient replacement windows? Luckily, Energy Star and other similar organizations try to help you by offering different ratings and measurements that quantify a replacement window’s energy efficiency. You can use these measurements for quantifiable and comparable information to guide you to choosing the best windows for your home. From U-values and solar heat gain coefficients, these measurements are important. But one of the most important ones is R-value. Keep reading to learn more about R-value and your windows.
R-value is the resistance to heat flow through a window. Heat always moves from warmer to cooler areas because of the laws of physics. Therefore, when there is a large temperature difference between the outdoors and inside your home, your windows’ R-value is very important. If it’s a freezing cold winter day, the warm air inside your home will naturally escape through your windows and doors. If it’s a super-hot summer day, the outside heat will try and move through them into the air-conditioned indoors.
This phenomenon means that inefficient replacement windows will allow more heat flow, making your heating and cooling systems work overtime to maintain your ideal indoor temperature. The harder your heaters and air conditioners work, the higher your energy usage and bills. When shopping for replacement windows for your home, look for those with a higher R-value. A replacement window with an R-value of 5 is 50% more efficient than one with an R-value of only 3.3.
What about R-value and your home? A replacement window with a high R-value will definitely help reduce heat loss and gain in your home, making it easier to keep warm or cool. High R-value windows offer lots of other benefits for your home, including:
- Lowered energy usage
- Lowered heating and cooling energy costs
- More consistent temperatures all around the home
- Higher overall home resale value
It may seem tedious to deal with measurements and numbers like R-value, but it could mean lots of benefits for you and your home in the long run. Do you want to learn more about replacement windows, energy efficiency, and important measurements like R-value? The Window and Door Shop, Inc. can help. We offer a wide range of Sacramento, CA replacement window services, and would be happy to use our expertise to help you find the best windows for you and your home. Please pay us a visit or give us a call to learn more about what we can do for you.
