Jesse, check out the Schucco windows made in Germany but now have a plant I beleive out east some where. They're U values are one of the best if not the best and their simulated wood finish is superb.

Good luck

They are made in South Carolina now and are a well build product. I am waiting to see what the new product is like now that it has been revamped and under new ownership.

Let me ask something along the lines of Alton's question. At 9000'ft Northern NM, dry climate, heating, not cooling is the issue, would one be able to create their own fixed windows that are triple pane? I'll have a large North facing window wall (for view). Windows will be fixed for that wall. Can one achieve reasonably close efficiencies to commercially-built units? at reduced cost? Other issues? Certainly can't be argon-filled, or maybe they can? With PVC materials today and a variety of sealants, one should be able to come up with a well-sealed system. Argon could be pumped in before the final seal is finished. Readily available from welding suppliers.

Thoughts?

Sure, no problem. Buy thermopane direct from a manufacturer (triple, argon, high gain etc) and install them into the opening with caulking/foam.

Flash the exterior with aluminum frame. Inside casing can be done with wood.

Your savings (not counting labour) 60-75%.

TerryJ,

Now that sounds like a solution. Wasn't aware one could buy Thermopane by itself.

thanks!

I just built a modern house in upstate NY with geo, solar, and triple paned windows. We have significant glazing in our main room (20' wide x 35' long) and two of the walls are all glass floor to ceiling. We put in huge triple paned windows from Accurate Dorwin in Winnipeg, Canada. We're generally happy with the quality of the windows and there is a noticeable difference from double paned. There is no "cold creep" when you are near the windows. When you stand next to them vs. in the middle of the room the temp is even.

I do strongly warn against working with Accurate Dorwin. This company is universally the worst company I've ever worked with. They are incompetent constantly making errors on their drawings and were very difficult to try and get any customization done. They also basically lied to us about fab and delivery time. They told us 9 weeks and it ended up be over 3x that amount. They kept telling us they were shipping and then didn't. There were several errors and breakage in transit from improper packing. Getting replacements was, like most things from this company, a nightmare.

So far, the product seems well built but we've only had them for a couple of months. However, there are others who make triple paned windows so DO NOT WORK WITH ACCURATE DORWIN or you'll regret it.

What Does the Energy Efficient Window Ratings Label Tell You?

The system for rating the energy efficiency of windows and is recognised within the Building Regulations as a method to show compliance for your replacement windows installation.

Window Energy Ratings use a consumer-friendly traffic-light style A-E ratings guide similar to that used on ‘white’ goods (such as fridges, freezers, washing machines etc…). This ratings label can be used by you to make more informed choices about the energy efficiency of the windows you are looking to purchase.

With carbon emissions high on the global agenda and the current high cost of fuel, we are all looking for ways to make our homes more energy efficient.

Each window has a unique label

This label will display the following information:

1. The rating level – A, B, C, etc…
2. The energy rating eg. -3kWh/(m²·K) in this example the product will lose 3 kilowatt hours per square metre per year.
3. The window U value eg. 1.4W/(m²·K)
4. The effective heat loss due to air penetration as L
eg. 0.01 W/(m²·K)
5. The solar heat gain eg. g=0.43

Simply put this will determine how well a product will perform the functions of:

* Helping you contain and conserve heat within your building in the winter

* Keep out the wind

* Resist condensation

* Contribute to improved sound insulation

So What are Energy Efficient Windows – Use Solar Gain to Benefit the Home

So exactly what are Energy Efficient Windows? They are windows that help to contain and conserve heat within the home keeping out wind and rain, resisting condensation and yet allowing natural “free” energy - the warmth of the sun - to heat the home. They can be made using any frame material - aluminium, PVC-U, steel or timber or even a combination of materials.

Energy Efficient Windows are easy to recognise

Maybe the picture doesn´t tell some people a lot but the upperone is a double pane window  the lower one is a triple pane..... Hope this explains enough

Use insulated shades to accomplish even higher R-values than triple pane. Triple pane windows reduce solar gains, great if you live in the south and don't want or need any free heat. Here in MA, we want as much free solar energy as we can get at least along the south facing windows. What is the cost difference and what is the savings? Do the math, and see just how much less energy will be lost or gained through these windows and break it down into Btu's on an annual basis. The energy modeling for this is a pain in the @#$ but once done you can see if it makes sense. It may for other parts of the country but here in New England the numbers don't work. I would rather have a shading system that can be employed to reduce gains and losses and be opened to recieve as much solar energy as you want. It gives you better control than just being stuck with a high insulating window with low solar heat gains. Don'f forget all triple pane windows are not the same. You can get triple panes that have a great U-value and then you can get some horrible ones as well. Take for instance the Pella triple glazed windows, the best one they have has a U-value of .25 and most are in the .30 range. I can get that with most good double pane lowE2 argon filled windows. With a decent window shade I can get a .20 or even better. A window shade of this nature cost around $75, much less than the triple pane upgrade. Granted most triple pane windows are much better than the pella's and some are incredibly efficient with U-values as low as .09 but the cost increase is dramatic. Windows are the most complicated thing to consider when designing an efficient building envelope and the answer isn't as easy as we would all like. So here is my take, do the math by means of a complete energy model and then compare the savings as it relates to your specific climate. After you do this you can calculate the annual energy savings and make the call for yourself. Here in Massachuseets I do not think this is a cost effective approach to saving energy. The added cost will never equate to dollars saved in energy cost over the life of the window. Don't forget the window will not last forever know matter what the manufacturer or salesman tells you. You will at some point have to replace with window and the payback as I have calculated is somewhere around 40yrs.

How about a window that captures and stores the suns energy? ever seen one? Check this out.


WATER FILLED WINDOWS/ TROMBE WALL WINDOW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdUGDAqyagU&feature=channel_page

Tom Pittsley
[email protected]
www.eebt.org

I have som IR image of these water filled windows posted on here. Check out the temp difference, 46F on the outside and 82.6F on the inside.

http://picasaweb.google.com/TomPittsley/PassiveSolarHomeMiddleboroMA#