A newbie here. I am currently looking for some replacement windows for my home. I have 14 double hung windows that are 20+ years old with aluminum frames and double pane glass. The seals are broken on many of them and they are simply too cold to sit next to in the winter. Would love to do Fiberglass but it seems that vinyl is more in my budget. I have narrowed my choices down to two different vendors. Ironically, they both have their products made by the same vinyl company but the specs do vary. I do not see any major differences in the frames and how they seal but the glass package is quite different. So how can I evaluate if the glass is really worth the added cost?
Window 1 - Triple pane, Krypton gas, Low-E, U-value is 0.10
Window 2 -Double pane, Argon gas, Low-E, U-value is 0.3 (need to confirm U-Value)
Window 1 is about twice the price as Window 2. Is it worth the added expense. Are there any sites out there that can provide calculators of some sort to compare the benefits.
I did read some of the links found on this site. I live in central ohio and my heating is darn near the same in KwHours as my cooling. I only have one small southern facing window so I do not see much value for solar heating. I only have 3 western facing windows that are not protected by the front porch overhang so little solar heating here either. This makes me think that I should aim for good u values and shgc values.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-Dax