hi everyone,

new member here. There seems to be many knowledgeable people on these forums so I thought I would throw this out there. I recently purchased a new home (built in late 2005) and I'm trying to figure out whether the windows are indeed low-e. They are dual pain vinyl windows sold by CWD (now Plygem) here in Alberta.

The barcord/serial number on the windows inside the spacer says CLEAR, so I began to think that perhaps these did not have a low-e coating. I then tried the infamous "lighter test," noticing that one of the flames is clearly a different, darker color than the others. Beyond having someone examine my windows, is there any other way to be sure? I do not have an IR thermometer or anything else to test with.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

The current window company should be able to tell what you have by the barcode/serial numbers.  Some vinyl window companies use serial numbers that tell size, etc. for quick sash/glass replacement.

Alton has suggested a good approach. If that approach does not work, you could take a guess by looking at the visual transmission through the window compared to looking through a small homemade "double-pane window" consisting of a couple of glass slides or pieces of glass with a spacer in-between. Low-e windows should show a lower visible transmission than two pieces of clear glass. Alton's method is preferred you can find the numbers and track down the results.

With the window closed, from the inside look at the reflection of the meeting rail in the top sash , if you have low-e it will have a pink or blue outline around and it will show multiple images. If it's a double hung the top jamb should have a manufacturers tag in it with size and type of glass