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In a hot climate where you’re spending more months air conditioning than heating your home, you’ll be most concerned with limiting how much the sun heats up your home.
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The right low-emissivity (Low-E) coating(s) can help your door perform more efficiently and also limit the amount of harmful UV rays that come into your home.
Here are two to know:
- Sun glass
- SmartSun™ glass
Low-E coatings can also be combined. SmartSun glass with HeatLock® technology can be a good choice in mild to hot climates.
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In a hot to mild climate, triple-pane glass is usually not needed. The standard dual-pane glass, which includes one air space filled with an argon-gas blend, is usually enough. This, in combination with the optimal Low-E coating(s), can typically lead to optimal performance.
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All-vinyl doors are not a good choice in hot climates because they can overheat and warp, which can eventually lead to failure.
A better alternative is Fibrex material, our exclusive composite that’s twice as strong as vinyl and able to withstand temperatures up to 150°F. We use Fibrex material to make our 100 Series Gliding Patio Door and as the exterior cladding for our A-Series Gliding Patio Door.
In a desert climate, our Andersen Aluminum product line is a good option, so consider the Multi-Slide Door.
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There’s a measure called solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). It quantifies how much solar energy is being transferred into your home.
You can use this measure to compare products or to evaluate whether the product you’re considering will meet any local energy requirements.
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In a cold or four-season climate where you’re spending more months heating than air conditioning your home, you’ll be most concerned with improving the insulating ability of your windows and doors.
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Low-E4® glass can help your door perform well. Depending on the conditions, it might make sense to consider an additional coating one of the following:
- SmartSun glass can help shield your home from UV rays.
- PassiveSun® glass can help use the sun’s energy to heat your home.
- HeatLock technology is made for keeping heat indoors in the most northerly climates.
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Triple-pane glass is the best at insulating a home. It has three panes of glass with two argon-gas-blend filled air spaces in between. The additional air space and the opportunity for additional coatings also helps improve efficiency.
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Clad-wood doors are a good option in cold climates because they have the strength and thermal performance of wood along with an exterior cladding material that helps protect them from the elements.
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There’s a thermal performance measure called U-Factor that measures the rate of heat loss. You can use this measure to compare products or to evaluate whether the products you’re considering will meet any local energy requirements.
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