When your home needs replacement windows in Wilsonville, OR, you have a lot of options to consider. While you might have wood windows on your home now, that doesn’t mean you have to get wood again. In fact, most homeowners don’t. More people are buying vinyl windows instead today than ever before. Vinyl windows are incredibly energy efficient and they look great on a home and come in a variety of colors. Vinyl lasts a long time and doesn’t take any maintenance. You can reduce your home’s energy bills and add style at the same time. But when you start looking for the right vinyl windows, keep in mind that not every vinyl window is the same in quality. There are certain things you want to watch for during the window buying process. Here are a few to remember:
Construction Quality Is Important
The vinyl material is usually great, but if it is not constructed into a window right, it won’t protect your home from the outdoor elements, as it should. The frame and sash could have welded corners, or it could be all one piece. The pieces could also be nailed together. You definitely want welding over nails and the way the corners come together so they are flush is important as well. Ask questions until you understand how the windows are put together.
Remember The Glass
Once you make sure the vinyl materials are put together well, you need to remember that much of the window’s quality will be in the glass. The frames can be great, but if the glass is subpar, you still won’t have a high-quality window. Windows come with at least double pane glass today, but you can upgrade to triple pane, if you want. There should be a chamber between each pane of glass with spacers to minimize heat loss and air flow through the glass. You can slow that down even more by having the window glass spaces filled with inert gases instead of air.
Watch The Labels
If you want to know everything there is to know about a particular vinyl window, go to its label. The first thing to watch for is the Energy Star label. If the window has that, it means it meets certain minimum requirements for energy efficiency in your particular region. There are variations above that, but that’s a good place to start. After that, learn what the ratings numbers mean so you can easily compare one window to another in terms of quality and efficiency.
While vinyl replacement windows in Wilsonville, OR in general rea great for most homes, they aren’t all high in quality. You want to get a good return on your investment, both with energy savings now and in home value later. To make sure that’s possible, contact the professionals at Advanced Energy Services to look through only high-quality window options. Call us at (503) 563-6866 with your questions or to set up a time for a showroom tour at 9150 SW Pioneer Ct Ste D Wilsonville, OR 97070.