So let's start off with the window industry ... the window industry is corrupt.
But first some background ...
Obviously if we're spending some extra cash on some insulated walls, the idea of buying windows with a single pane of glass and no insulating value doesn't make much sense. Since windows have a totally different function than walls - one you can actually open, close, and see through - I'm not expecting the equivalent of the R40 walls - but you want something decent.
Really tight homes seem to be gravitating towards fiberglass windows ... they don't lose as much heat, and they have less air infiltration over time because the window and fiberglass (being made of essentially the same material ... ummm, glass) is expanding and contracting at the same rate. Well, at least that's what the experts are telling us. Their energy performance is also generally better, and they'll even put a sticker on your windows that shows how good the window is at insulating and allowing solar gain into the house.
So why do I think this industry is corrupt?
Well first, like most products that consumers buy only once or twice in their lifetime (as opposed to something like toothpaste or gasoline) - the price range on similar products is huge. Four quotes on the same windows ranged from $16K to $28K (that's a 75% spread) - and not surprisingly, the $28K didn't itemize. And the quality was extremely similar. Where I think you have quality issues in windows is when you try to buy a common brand (think Pella, Anderson, Marvin), because you have to pay for their marketing budgets. And when you try to buy from a big box store like Lowe's - the price might cheap, but the quality is so low, you won't be happy with the windows. Remember, a lot of the things that are important on windows are kind of invisible to you and may not be obvious initially - like how much will the window deforms over time and leak air into your house.
This is also a favorite area for general contractors to recoup some of their margins. The name brand manufacturers have builder quality lines that are just barely above code - so the GC can say you are getting, say, Pella, windows, but they aren't very good quality.
So who did we go with - well, no one in the US - the few manufacturers in the US either had crappy quality or were out of sight price wise - and we just couldn't justify it. Keep in mind, the highest performing windows are at an equivalent of, say, R6 - where the next step down which is half the price is going to be R4 or R5. And they are all using the same glass, and they are all using the same fiberglass frames.
So we went with a Canadian fiberglass manufacturer. There was definitely drama, so I'll just give you the high points ... we got quote from all 4 Canadian fiberglass window manufacturers, picked the cheapest, spent (I shit you not) 3 months trying to finalize an order (we didn't change ANYTHING on our side), and finally looked at the other 3 ... one had a fire at their plant, but didn't tell us that for 3 months, one was super expensive, and the last was just right ... took 48 hours to finalize the order and 6 weeks to ship. Yes, there was some frustration with them actually shipping the windows after the 5 month ordeal - but they were solid windows.
We didn't go with the traditional double hung windows - instead we went with casement and awning windows - they are the norm in Europe, and we always preferred them to the leaky double hung windows. I mean, if I was living in the old part of Boston, Massachusetts, I could see using traditional double hung windows - but there's no need for today's houses to be like that. I'm not opposed to a traditional design choice, it's just that sometimes it's good to think why you are making that decision.
On the solar gain thing, the US is a bit behind on that one than the rest of the World. Basically windows are measured by how much solar heat makes it through the glass - and in order to be considered an energy efficient window in the US, it has to be very low - as in only 20% of the solar heat can actually enter the house. But sometimes you want a window with a high solar gain - especially on the south side of the house. Considering it's easy to block the sun in the summer from the outside with an awning (we used to do that a lot 100 years ago) or some plants, having the heat stream in in winter is a pretty good idea - it's called free heat. So the windows on our house are kind of a mixture ... windows on the north and second floor try to block as much sun as possible, windows on the south side try to bring in as much heat as possible. There's still a debate on what to do with east and west windows, but I think if you have a plan where you can reliable block the solar gain from the outside, then I would sign up for the free heating in winter.
