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schmausser
Registered Users
New Member
Posts:17
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| 07/28/2009 8:02 PM |
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We are going to build soon in the Orlando area and right now I'm trying to figure out what windows we should use.
we are looking for something very energy efficient but also need to stay within a reasonable budget. We are going with casements and are looking for windows with a dark exterior finish. This rules out many of the vinyl products as they only come in white.
Our builder has suggested now a composite window from an AZ company he deals with. It's available with a dark finish as we asked for and comes with different glass options.
There are 2 in particular that I'm comparing:
One is a double pane LoE3 366® glas, U value 0.27, SHGC 0.19
They also have a triple pane with U value 0.20, SHGC 0.17
Obviously the triple pane is going to be quite a bit more. Is it worth it? It's my understanding in our hot climate I should be more concerned about SHGC value, not so much the U value ...right? And SHGC value are not far apart.
And are these values good anyway or should we looking for alternatives? |
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Dana1
Registered Users
Advanced Member
Posts:702
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| 07/30/2009 12:10 PM |
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You can model the performance yourself using a freebie download from the Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab fenestration folks:
http://windows.lbl.gov/software/resfen/resfen.html
Since it's zip-code specific (there are seven different location options for FL), it is modeled using actual historical weather data for the location, minimizing the guesswork involved. It's not the slickest piece of software out there, but it's not a total pain either, with a bare-bones user interface. If you insert your actual utility rates it'll give you an estimate of actual operating cost, if you need to fine tune the cost/benefit analysis rather than answer "will A outperform B" type questions. |
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Jelly
Registered Users
Basic Member
Posts:496
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| 07/30/2009 3:46 PM |
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| Simonton has a "driftwood" finish in vinyl, which isn't really dark but it's darker than white or beige. It's sort of a middle value in terms of color. Doesn't Florida have very specific testing required for window manufacturers? Not all brands are certified there. |
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