Replacement Window Glass – Comparing The Options

The type of glass that you choose to purchase for your replacement window glass can depend on many factors.

It would be nice if the choice of installing the ideal glass would be an obvious one to make. But this is not always so as the benefits of replacement windows glass can depend on affordability, climate, color, style and application.

Obviously increased insulating value by choosing low-e glass coatings and double or triple paned windows will improve comfort and lower energy costs for those in colder areas. But remember that even top quality glass is only a part of the replacement window.

And so the choice of frame material and standard of installation may render your more expensive glass a less successful investment. Problems with the frame or installation can detrimentally affect the performance of your new glass windowpanes.

The Glass For You

Appearance is also very important to some homeowners, which can at times prevent them from making the right choice for the glass in their substitute windows. If some of their friends have got the latest triple glazing then they just have to get this style glass as well, whether or not it may be right for them, or they can really afford the most expensive design.

You may also need more than one type of glass for your home, to be installed in different windows depending on the directions they face and the local climate. Every home is also individual, so there are no fixed rules when it comes to ordering new glass.

Reflective or tinted / heat absorbing glass will obviously be more needed in south facing windows than north facing, but if there’s already good shading from nearby trees on those windows, then a more standard glass may well do fine.

So carefully consider your and your home’s needs like; daylight wants, heating and cooling costs, available windows budget, the need or not for solar heating, aesthetic desires, and noise pollution before you order that new glass.

Layers Of Glass - One, Two Or Three?

When it comes to replacement windows; the main choices are type of frame, type of glass and how many layers of glass window pane to have on the frame.

This one two or three window pane debate, like the others, can usually end up in an argument about cost. So it’s often comes down to a choice of weighing up initial expenditure against expected long term benefits.

A single window pane design is the cheapest but won’t help much to lower heating bills as they permit a lot of heat to escape through them to the outdoors. However a storm window can help in this concern. They are also the easiest to repair and weigh the lightest too.

But most consumers now opt for insulated glass (IG) units when replacing existing windows. This means either dual or triple windowpanes.

A Double Or Triple Decker?

A double pane window with an internal low-e plastic strip between the panes is one way of mimicking the performance of a mid-range triple paned window without the cost. But a quality window with three panes and low-e glass will always have the lowest of low U-factors.

So choose whether you can afford the long term maximum benefits of purchasing triple pane windows. Or accept the lesser but still considerable benefits of dual pane windows. The answer may well depend on the following estimates:

• The current cost of your heating bills.
• Your expectations of future energy bills.
• How long you expect to remain in your current home.

Another good thing about these dual paned or triple paned windows is that the panes of glass can be different from one another. Having tinted glass on the outside and clear on the inner is only one of the combinations available.