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Welcome To InsideStormWindows.com!
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 THE
BASICS
For homeowners or apartment dwellers looking to save on their home
HEATING and COOLING costs, windows are a great place to start. Windows
lose heat three different ways; conduction, radiation and infiltration.
Here is a technical description of each type of loss:
Conduction : This is where
heat is transferred from through the actual material. Many windows are
made of aluminum which conducts heat at the rate of 1416 BTU of energy
per hour per square foot of material per degree difference between the
inside and outside temperature. The building industry simplifies this
to what is called U-Value. Aluminum has a U-Value of 1416. Steel
windows are a little better, they have a U-Value of 312. Vinyl has a
U-Value of 1.4. You can see why homeowners with aluminum windows have
such high heating and cooling costs….heat is sucked out through the
frames themselves, even if there are no spaces between the moving
parts. Just looking at these numbers will tell you why vinyl
replacement windows have been so popular in the last 20 years.
Radiation : the transfer of
heat in the form of electromagnetic waves from one separate surface to
another. Infrared energy from the sun reaches the earth by radiation,
and a person's body can lose heat to a cold window or skylight surface
in a similar way. If you have a warmer window surface, you will feel
more comfortable. The second type of radiation that comes into play
with windows is ULTRAVIOLET Radiation. Known as UV radiation, this does
not cause heat loss. These are the rays from the sun that cause fading
of fabrics, carpets and furniture. If you have valuable objects in
front of a window, they will fade.
Infiltration : This is where
the moving parts of a window are not fitting tightly together. It can
happen to windows due to age through warping, or because painting the
windows over the years has made the window parts thicker in some areas
and they no longer fit together tightly. Any air that blows through
these spaces must be heated or cooled. If you stop the infiltration,
you save
Click here to learn
about our products and how they will save you money
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