Hi, I am building a new home up by Ottawa Canada and I am seriously looking at Fibertec Windows. I would appreciate feedback from anyone that may have used Fibertec Windows. Also, any comments on the quality of the ratings provided would be helpful.

 


Here are some of the ratings for the windows I am considering;
Fixed windows: South side :
.17 U value
75 condensation resistance
.51 SHGC
.60 C.O.G SHGC
53 VT
 NE & West
.14 U value
79 condensation resistance
.28 SHGC
.33 C.O.G. SHGC
53 VT  

Casement window: South side
.21 U value
67 condensation resistance
.43 SHGC
.60 C.O.G. SHGC
44 VT

NE & west
.17 U value
70 condensation resistance
24 SHGC
.33 C.O.G SHGC
39 VT 

Also, are triple pane windows worth the added expense?

Hi!

I went through a huge learning curve before choosing our windows as well. One thing that will help you is to get a program like resfen (I think it's just resfen.com, but you can google it to make sure). It allows you to plug in all of the values for each side of your house (area, u-value, heat gain, etc), along with utility rates, & it gives you the estimated annual heat loss & costs. I discovered (and many others have reported the same on these boards) that getting a much lower u-value does not give you a huge change in heat loss. It was surprising to me, but to go from a .30 u value to a .20 only affected heating costs by maybe $100/year. The windows with the lower u-value were thousands of dollars more, so I couldn't really justify it.

My other comment is on your high solar gain windows on the south side. Make sure you have some sort of low-e glazing. Without it, all of the UV gets in, which will fade your floor, furniture, etc.

I used Buildit Solar's insulation upgrade calculator for a savings chart for a customer last year. The competitor had a window with a claimed r-value of 10, my window came in at 5.88. So the customer was going with thw more is better idea until I gave him a cost difference of $3.42 per window for 20 windows. The competitors windows were $240 per unit more. And the kicker was that this super window did not have as good an air infiltation rating as the window that I have. People get caught up in the U-values.

My bet is on Thermotech which is located in Ottawa. I think that if you go local if you have any service issues you'll be safe.

I have those windows. Ordered in November, installed in February of this year. 20+ windows in total, going into what is hopefully a net-zero home near Toronto.

I think we went with a higher SGHC for the south facing casement windows, trading off the U-value to be at 0.26.

We had narrowed it down to Inline or Fibertec, and went with Fibertec particularly because of their hardware and their trimline brickmould. Pricing was within 10% between the two, but we liked the way the Fibertec casements sat on the lower hardware feeling it was a stronger design. The brickmould was also a custom one that fitted very well with the window as opposed to a generic one; it was a grooved fit.

We ruled out Thermotech fairly early on, based on the pricing we received for a 30-42-30x60" + 18" transoms (78"x102") that was significantly higher. As much as they were very knowledgeable, it was too big of a price difference for us to justify , and in the end to have a local supplier at a lower price was the better route for us to go.

FWIW.

Victor

Pricing can be a minefield.

Being conscientious, we price the requirements presented to us and include all
the elements we think are required to do a good solid job.  At first glance
others are often less expensive.

A careful comparison of details (sizes, number and type of operators,
glass and spacer options, frame and sash insulation, installation
acccessories, shipping arrangements etc...) typically reveals an apples to
oranges situation.  Sorting this out takes time but tends usually reveals
disparate bids are actually very close.  We routinely see apparent 25% price
spreads shrink to 5%.

Thank you

Hi,
My husband and I did all this 5 years ago when we built our home. The windows are a big expense and we chose Fibertec. WHAT A HUGE REGRET!!!

Their customer service is so poor. We have had trouble with some of our window cranks, and after months of trying to get them to send us the correct item, I finally ordered them elsewhere. Fibertec was supposed to replace defective hardware for free, but was charging us as much in shipping as ordering them from on line. Now we are dealing with broken bar guides--yes about 10 of our windows will no longer lock tight because the PLASTIC bar guides are breaking. When I spoke with customer service, they immediately blamed the breakage on the way we were closing the window. REALLY!? Crank the window closed and lock it, not difficult. Then it must be the way they were istalled, she said. They are IMPOSSIBLE!!

AVOID FIBERTEC WINDOWS, YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!!!

I purchased Fibertec over a year ago and have had no issues. The windows are very nice and solid overall service was very good.

I've just chosen Fibertec after a careful comparison with Thermotech. Thermotech does have a great reputation but I choked on the significantly higher costs. I had heard some bad feedback about Fibertec but also much good feedback, and when I asked them about it they acknowledged it and said they'd changed some key staff as a result of growing pains several years ago.

The windows won't be in until next month so I can't give you further feedback yet. However I recommend triple pane; mine are for Barry's Bay, close to your Ottawa location (I'm actually moving from Ottawa to Barry's Bay!) and I think the extra pane is important for our cold climate, even at the loss of some VT.

My window ratings are similar to yours; email me privately if you want the figures. Just as important as all those figures, though, and perhaps even more important, is how well you insulate your windows when the sun isn't entering them. Basic curtains, even store-bought "insulated" curtains, don't do enough to reduce night-time heat loss. Surf for 'insulated window coverings' and consider things like custom-made quilts and foamboard shutters.
...Terry

Terry

Sorry to brake it to you but I've been told that the service manager Sylvia is the wife of the owner which by and large makes her the owner....So the only thing that has changed is their story...Check it on on the BBB.

Sorry, I hope your windows work out for you....Barry's Bay is Gorgeous!

Art

Thanks for this info, Art. You're right that BBB lists Sylvia as the CS Manager but they give the company a B+ rating, with 4 complaints resolved and 1 unresolved. This isn't ideal but it doesn't mean 'the only thing that has changed is their story', nor that they shouldn't be dealt with.

Anyone else out there with good or bad info on Fibertec and their windows, please?
...Terry

P.S. Hmm, BBB shows Thermotech has an F rating for 2 complaints it didn't respond to.

I'm in no way connected with Fibertec, just that I'm a customer of theirs, but it's odd that there's two people complaining in this thread, and both posters have only 1 post on GBT. The tin-foil-hat part of me wonders aloud where there's some character assassinations going on... I understand there are other complaints about them, as seen with some of the other threads, but I'm just saying, take things with a grain of salt...

I can confirm that Thermotech was significantly more expensive. My 102x78 window was quoted in the high $4k's for their "basic" version, and $8k for their fully-decked-out version with wood veneer and all. But the same window dimensions, with similar glazing, worked out to just over $3k with Fibertec. In the end, I went with Fibertec over Thermotech because of that price difference, which for me with 20+ windows would have worked out to a $15k difference using straight line extropolation, something I couldn't justify even if Thermotech's windows were better.

Pricing wise Inline and Fibertec are very very close, so for those that have problems with Fibertec there's an alternative for those looking in the Toronto area suppliers. There were key advantages to both Inline and to Fibertec, but from a personal point of view we liked Fibertec's design better.

Your mileage may vary.

Victor Kam
www.ecobuilthome.ca