I heard about Intus windows on this site and thought I would share some info. We just received and installed our windows and doors, very happy with quality and the service we received. Total 12 windows and 3 doors. windows all Eforte Upvc ,tilt and turn,UW .15, Glass specs (Prem4x20Arx4x18ArxPrem4, warm edge spacer, Ug=0.088 Btu/hr sq.ft F, SHGC=0.494, VT=0.709), all had screens. Window cost was $49.19/ft2 without shipping. Doors averaged $120/ft2 without shipping. They split the shipping to bring it down to $2170. total cost for all doors and windows was $90/ft2. Time was 10 weeks.

great windows but a off the shelf local windows with good glass like cardinal is about $35 sq '

So what is your ROI on spending $55 more a sq '

Just don't see the economics.

Posted By gosolar on 25 May 2015 09:10 AM
great windows but a off the shelf local windows with good glass like cardinal is about $35 sq '

So what is your ROI on spending $55 more a sq '

Just don't see the economics.

"Off the shelf" windows don't compare to fit, finish, quality, energy efficiency and long term reliability to that of a window like Intus.

ROI is too vague and hard to quantify since there are so many variables at hand. As with SIPs, what is the ROI vs wood frame? One can build a stick frame home a lot cheaper than with SIPs. Where are the economics?

People spend tens of thousands of dollars on granite counter tops for their home. What is the ROI on that?

A couple of things. ROI (money) is not the most important thing to me. That said, much time was spent pricing and running calculations before I purchase windows. The prices were provided for information purposes. Intus offers free shipping on larger orders, so you can get windows from them for $49 sq'. The entry doors were a bit more, however I was having a difficult time finding a well insulated and sealed door for less money. You didn't provide any specs with the cardinal windows that are "about $35 sq'" So its difficult to compare. However using specs from other average energy star windows it is possible to double my btu loss of the house. This causes an increase the size of HVAC possibly eliminating the difference in cost of the windows. My goal is to have a house that is low maintenance, and very low/or no cost to live in it. The real test will take a couple of years to know. On paper, one small minisplit is the most I should need, for days that don't have much sun. After we have lived in the house for several years I would like to provide info and #s on the cost living, and total cost to build.

I was looking at the Canadian energy site viewing the window test database. I was surprised to see that some of the well know companies had windows with very respectable air leakage values. The difference in air leakage values range from a low of .05 l.s/m2 to over 2.0 l/s/m2. So what is the economic impact between the two given the same glazing and equivalent home in a cold climate (zone 6)?

I have been using BeOpt to look at various energy strategies for a new build and a remodel. One scenario I ran compared double pane vs. triple pane windows. The cost of the triple panes had an increased payback time of about 130 years. Thus, as I've noted on this site, may be one would be better off to invest in a PV system.

Building and construction costs will vary and how do you quantify certain costs? For instance, some areas charge $20k to connect to a city water source. That's the fee to connect and does not include the monthly water bill you will have for the life of the home. What is the ROI of the $20k you just gave the city so they can let you use their water? In other places you can drill a well for $5k and it's your water forever and you can pump as much as you want and the only fee is the electricity of the well pump.

A high quality and energy efficient window like Intus is one of the most economically priced triple pane window out there in the market today. Not only is the energy efficiency much better than typical dual pane windows but the quality is also much better than standard big box store windows. A triple pane window also makes for better sound proofing. A standard dual pane window is around STC-21 while a triple pane window is STC-36 or better. How does one put a ROI on having a quiet home or room to sleep in? A triple pane window allows you to sit next to the window during winter and not experience cold drafts and convection as you would with a dual pane window. What is the ROI of being able to sit next to or look out a window when it's 15F outside and not feel cold drafts?

ROI is not always quantified in dollars and putting a price on comfort & quality needs to be addressed also.

Posted By agagent3 on 26 May 2015 10:02 AM
The difference in air leakage values range from a low of .05 l.s/m2 to over 2.0 l/s/m2. So what is the economic impact between the two given the same glazing and equivalent home in a cold climate (zone 6)?

To answer your question you need to plug some numbers(R values, square footage of walls floors and ceilings, room volume ect) into a heat loss calculation and then apply those window air infiltration numbers to the program(l/s/m2 as a percentage of room volume air changes/hr). Borst engineering has some interesting ones free for personal/non commercial use on their website. Every BTU used to heat your home has a dollar figure attached to it. In a well insulated home with good windows, air infiltration quickly becomes the dominant factor in energy consumption. You of course need a certain ammount for a healthy environment but windows letting in added air won't be helping the heating bill. It is far better IMO if you can control this air exchange thru the use of a heat recovery ventilator and rely on the windows to act like a piece of the wall IRT air infiltration. A 50% efficient heat recovery ventilator halvs the apparent heat loss thru air exchange, which is how you apply that usage to the calculator. I agree with Lbear, it is very hard to calculate an ROI on stability and comfort.