Energy-efficient windows provide many benefits. By helping to keep heated and air conditioned air inside your home (and outside air outside) they can make your home’s temperature more comfortable, especially when they’re incorporated into a home whose overall design is efficient.

Energy-efficient windows can also help reduce utility bills and increase your property’s value, helping you saving money over time. So, what is an energy-efficient window? The short answer is a well-designed window that’s thermally broken (designed to block energy transfer between inside and outside) and features glass that is energy efficient. Glass is a vital part of the equation because it’s what most of a window surface area consists of. There are multiple ways to improve glass efficiency, which we’ll get into below. 

When it comes to energy efficiency, there are multiple factors that affect window performance, including: the type of window, window glass, and accessory selections, like grilles. We’ll explain what to focus on in order to pick out the most energy-efficient windows for your home, including climate-specific selections.  

One of the ways windows can be optimized for a specific climate zone is with glass coatings. Low-E/Low-E4 glass coatings come standard with our windows. They are ultra thin, generally transparent, and improve window efficiency. These coatings work by reflecting or absorbing heat. They can also be combined so different coatings are used on different panes of glass in order to help create optimal performance. 

One of the reasons triple-pane windows offer such superior performance is because the third pane offers an additional opportunity to include Low-E coatings. Here is what you need to know:

Low-E coatings for cold climates 

Depending on the conditions, it might make sense to consider a coating that will help heat up the home in the winter, or one that will help protect the home further from the sun’s intensity. Consider the following: