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U Factor Ratings for Energy Efficient Windows

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing new energy-efficient windows is the U-factor. This number measures how well a window insulates, making it critical in deciding which windows are right for your home. While it can sound technical, the basics are easy to understand. 

What Is U-Factor and Why Does It Matter? 

The U-factor measures how well a window prevents heat from passing through. A lower U-factor means the window provides better insulation. You can think of it like wall insulation’s R-value; the two are inverses of each other. With windows, you want a low U-factor; with insulation, you want a high R-value. 

Windows with high U-factors let heat flow more easily, meaning winters feel colder and summers hotter. That forces your heating and cooling systems to work harder, driving up energy bills. Lower U-factors, on the other hand, help stabilize indoor temperatures and reduce HVAC strain. 

Energy Efficiency and Comfort 

Windows with low U-factors keep warm air inside during the winter and cool air inside during the summer. This improves energy efficiency, keeps bills manageable, and reduces hot or cold spots around windows. Your home feels more comfortable overall, while your heating and cooling equipment lasts longer thanks to less strain. 

 

NFRC Certified Windows and U-Factor Standards 

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) puts windows through rigorous testing to qualify windows. NFRC guidelines vary by region and climate, but all include U-factor requirements. Choosing windows that meet these standards often makes you eligible for rebates or incentives, depending on location and timing. 

While NFRC provides an excellent baseline, it’s not the only factor to consider. Advanced Window Products can help you select windows with additional efficiency features tailored to your specific needs. 

How Replacement Windows Achieve Lower U-Factors 

Modern windows are designed with multiple features to improve insulation and lower U-factors. These include argon gas fills, low-e coatings, and insulated frames. Unfortunately, older windows can’t be retrofitted to meet today’s efficiency levels. While temporary DIY fixes may help slightly, the best way to achieve meaningful savings and comfort is with professional window replacement. 

Upgrade Your Home with Energy-Efficient Windows 

Lower U-factor windows not only cut energy costs but also make your living spaces more comfortable year-round. At Advanced Window Products, we help homeowners compare options, understand efficiency ratings, and choose windows that fit both budget and climate. 

If your current windows are drafty, outdated, or driving up your utility bills, now is the time to upgrade. Contact us at Advanced Window Products today for a free consultation and quote, and start enjoying the benefits of modern, energy-efficient windows.

Power of the Little Blue Label When Making Home Improvement Upgrades

Your home’s windows are an integral feature that allows in natural light and warmth, plus they have their own unique aesthetic qualities. However, as with most building components, there comes a time when they need replacing and when it’s time for you to make this type of home improvement upgrade, you should consider the benefits of energy star windows.

Energy star windows are those windows marked by the little blue label with white writing and what that little blue label essential means is that the product has been ranked as among the best energy-efficient windows. But, you may ask yourself, why bother to buy energy star windows when you can buy normal windows at lower costs? Well, just consider the following great reasons why looking for that little blue energy star label can be so rewarding when you make home improvement upgrades:

Understanding the Power of the Energy Star Rating When Making Home Improvement Upgrades

Save Money Long-Term with Energy Efficient Windows

While it is true that the best energy efficient windows cost more upfront than traditional single and double pane options, it is also true that you will save hundreds every year in utility costs. According to Energy Star, when you choose one of their windows over a single pane window, you can save as much as $465 a year on your home utility bills. Thus, to buy energy star windows as a home improvement upgrade is to enjoy a lifetime of annual savings.

Reduced HVAC Maintenance and Related Costs with Energy Star Rated Windows

The reason why energy star windows save homeowners so much is that they are incredibly insulative and thereby significantly reduce heat transfer. So when you save on energy costs, you do so because your HVAC equipment won’t need to cycle on as often and will instead keep the same even and desired temperature at lower energy costs. As such, homeowners who buy energy star windows find that their costs related to HVAC care and maintenance likewise go down as the units operate more efficiently with less overuse.

Increased Comfort in the Summer and Winter

With traditional windows, it is common for there to be hot spots during the summer and drafty cold spots during the winter as these products are not equipped to completely stop the transfer of heat. In contrast, energy-efficient windows get the little blue label precisely because of their abilities to stop heat transfer. The result is a home that is significantly more comfortable as it’s without drafts or hot spots.

Contact Advanced Window Products in Salt Lake City, Utah to Learn More About the Benefits of Energy Star Windows or to Schedule Your Home Renovation

Here in Utah, we enjoy a full four-season climate with bitter cold, sweltering heat, and gorgeous buffer months. As such, energy-efficient windows offer homeowners all of the above benefits and make for a great home improvement upgrade no matter what part of the state you live in. And wherever that is, our team at Advanced Window Products is here to help you find the perfect windows for your home. Contact us today to learn more about our products or to schedule a home installation.

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How Energy Efficient Windows Absorb Sound

You live on a busy street with traffic whizzing by continuously. Or on a cul-de-sac, but you contend with lawn mowers and exuberant neighborhood kids. Maybe your family home is near a hospital, and ambulance sirens keep you up half the night. Or there’s an airport within 10 miles.

Whatever your unique situation, it’s likely that you’re aware of more outside activity than you’d like to hear from the comfort of your home. It’s called noise pollution, and it’s a problem in most American cities, suburbs and even smaller communities.

Fortunately, the replacement window industry is on it. Today’s quality energy efficient windows add a variety of technologies and smart construction strategies to buffer noise and add aural comfort to your home life.

How Today’s Energy Efficient Windows Cut Noise

Modern windows are built and designed to keep the cold out in the winter and to block solar radiance so that your house stays cooler in the summertime. But that’s not all that energy efficient windows keep out. They also reduce noise levels from the outside in much the same way that they block sun, cold and rain.

For instance, weather stripping to keep out the cold also goes far toward blocking noise. Multiple panes of glass or the addition of storm windows similarly create soundproof windows in addition to maintaining temperature comfort.

The point is, if you can interrupt the air flow you’ll also block the sound path between your interior and the great big, noisy outside world.

But that’s just a start. There are more technologically advanced ways of reducing noise penetration.

Asymmetrical Panes and Other Strategies

Asymmetrical window glass glazing is a strategy to help reduce sound transmission. It involves the construction of windows with glass layers of varying thicknesses. The idea here is that all of these barriers of different dimensions breaks up sound into various frequencies, dissipating its intensity.

Another approach is through the use of laminated glass, which absorbs sound by breaking it up. Furthermore, window frames constructed of wood, composite materials, PVC or unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) rather than metal offer superior sound insulation qualities.

The most effective soundproof windows combine several of these strategies to keep noise pollution at the very minimum.

What’s the Goal?

Your sound reduction end game should be to attempt coming as close as possible to the sound absorbency potential of the walls in which your windows are placed. (It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to meet better sound reduction standards with your window than you can achieve with the wall, after all.)

Upgrade Your Home Today

You’ll find today’s top vinyl replacement windows with superior soundproofing qualities at Advanced Window Products, Utah’s #1 window company.

We’ve made it especially easy now to upgrade your home with sound-buffering energy efficient replacement windows by offering our $0 down, 0% interest financing for six months.

If you need even more motivation to switch to energy efficient windows — on top of comfort, energy bill savings and dramatic sound reduction — another key advantage can be the tax savings. You can read more about that here.

Tour our showroom in downtown Salt Lake City. Or call us at (801) 505-9622 for a free estimate at your home, at your convenience. Check out our hours and location information.

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Benefits of Natural Lighting

Sunlight is essential to keep us healthy and happy. A home with abundant daylight reduces the need to use electric lights from sun-up to sun-down. The best strategy to achieve a warm and inviting space is with natural light design. As a fundamental design component for sustainable living, utilizing natural light can reduce lighting energy consumption during the day by as much as 80%, according to the US Green Building Council.

Along with the benefits natural light design, there are also negative issues that need to be addressed like glare, heat loss, heat gain and UV exposure. An experienced energy-efficient window expert can help you balance the benefits with the side effects. Window type, glass selection, placement and orientation are all important components to take full advantage of the sunshine and apply shading techniques to enhance and define your space.

Advanced Window Products in Salt Lake City, Utah is proud to offer our custom-made new or replacement windows and doors to create a controlled natural light design to utilize the sun’s light and warmth while protecting you and your family from harmful UV rays. Take advantage of rebates for our high-quality, energy-efficient window products and flexible finance options.

Top Three Advantages of Natural Light

Aside from the instant value new windows provide, there are many benefits of using natural light through strategic window design and placement in your home, like:

  • Utilize Natural Light to reduce light energy consumption and the warm rays of the sun can naturally heat your home during cold winter months to help save on energy bills.
  • Improve Indoor Air-Quality by opening up the windows to bring outdoor air Inside with functional window options.
  • Health Benefits from Regular Sun Exposure are crucial to our well-being. Sunlight offers low levels of vitamin D and promotes better sleep and a higher sense of optimism.

Introduce Natural Light with Daylighting

The design term daylighting refers to strategic placement of a variety of windows, side lights and skylights to introduce the maximum amount of natural lighting into your home. You will want to consider window placement and orientation for each area as the sun moves across the sky. Depending on the time of day, the sunlight will subtly change the look and feel of the room.

You can achieve all of the benefits of daylighting and reduce energy consumption by choosing windows & doors specially designed to withstand Utah’s weather extremes. It is important to choose a window manufacturer with a large selection of window types with energy efficiency options to fit your budget. Look for features like heat reflection to combat heat transfer while still letting in the light, UV protection and the following manufacturing standards for superior long-term performance:

How Can I Maximize Natural Light?

If you do not have the option to incorporate daylighting design in the floorplan of your new build, there are several things you can do to your existing home without changing the location of your windows. The experts at Advanced Window Products recommend maximizing your home’s current window layout to take advantage of natural light at different times during the day.

Here are a few strategic tips for homeowners to incorporate natural lighting without major renovation to change a window’s location:

  • North Facing Windows present an even natural sunlight with minor glare and summer heat gain.
  • South Facing Windows will provide beneficial heating from the sun during winter months and minimal direct sun in the summertime.
  • East and West Facing Windows should ideally be smaller in size and include shading options because of direct sun exposure. East facing windows receive targeted sunlight from sunrise to mid-afternoon and West facing windows cause heat build-up from mid-afternoon to late evening sunshine.

Selecting the best windows for natural light to complement the sun’s benefits through daily movement and seasonal location is very important to avoid hot spots and glare and take advantage of natural light and warmth in the wintertime. It is equally important to shop around for the best quality windows to meet your needs and consider professional installation to ensure the windows are properly sealed and insulated.

Let Us Help Your Achieve Your Ideal Daylight Design

Advanced Windows USA superior quality window and door products have been specially designed for the four-season weather of Utah. You can’t go wrong with factory-direct savings, flexible finance options, double lifetime warranty, professional installation and our industry-leading customer service. As a part of Buy Local First Utah, Advanced Windows is pleased to participate in our local community and proudly supports the Utah Make A Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Zenith International Charity (ZIC) and the Fallen Brothers Foundation.

Contact Us or give us a call today at 801-505-9622 to learn more about creating a more sustainable home with innovative, energy saving natural light design and energy efficient window options.

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Sliding Glass Pet Doors: A Gift of Independence for You and Your Pet!

How Do Sliding Glass Doors for Pets Work?

Pet-friendly patio doors will save you time and hassle while retaining the functionality and attraction of your sliding glass doors. Advanced Window Products can easily install replacement glass into your existing door in minutes! It will work exactly like your existing door, but contains a solid, secure, panel insert that is designed with the size of your pet in mind.

Independence for You and Your Pet

pet-door-in-useThe days of planning your schedule around potty breaks and cleaning up after accidents are over. Don’t worry about hurrying home from work, getting out of bed at night, or stopping everything to let your best friend outside. Your pet can let himself out of the sliding glass door anytime, without waiting for help to go out or come back in. This door gives both of you comfort in knowing he will not have to “hold it” and can enjoy the outdoors anytime!

Stop Barking, Scratching, Whining at the Door

Finally, if your doors are all scratched up or your dog howls to get your attention, this door is the solution! Imagine eliminating noisy barking, destructive scratching, or whining at the door. Your dog can enjoy the view and stroll outside without having to get your attention first, allowing you to keep a scratch-free door and some peace and quiet for you and your neighbors!

Free Sliding Glass Pet Door Estimate

Watch your pet enjoy the outdoors at his leisure from the attractive windows without having to open or close the door. These doors provide peace of mind and save effort! Don’t interrupt what you are doing to open the door or worry about asking a neighbor or paying a pet sitter to come by when you are out. If you are ready to save time and eliminate the hassle of constantly letting your pet in and outside, contact Advanced Window Products at 801-246-9355 or complete the form on this page for a free sliding glass pet door estimate!

6 Reasons You’ll Love a New Sliding Glass Door

A new patio door can make a big difference in your home’s overall appearance. Whether you’re updating an existing door or choosing a door for a brand new patio, you’ll find plenty of options to choose from. Before making your decision, consider the benefits that a sliding glass door offers for your Utah home.

1. Better Light and Visibility

Sliding doors with large panes of glass let in much more light, making your home brighter. The added light also makes your home feel more open and spacious. In addition, the glass gives you a convenient way to keep an eye on kids or pets when they’re outdoors. It also provides you with more scenic views of your yard.

2. Sliding Doors Help You Save Space

When you have limited room, sliding doors offer a way to save space. Since these doors don’t need to swing open, you don’t have to make sure the area around them is clear.

3. Sliding Doors Keep the Noise Out

Sounds from outdoors, such as lawn mowers, can make your home a noisy one. Sliding glass doors can help reduce the amount of noise you hear from outside. Doors made with certain types of high performance glass transmit less noise than regular doors, leaving you with a quieter home.

4. Sliding Doors Are Energy Efficient

Sliding Glass Door- Advanced Window ProductsSliding patio doors that contain high performance glass can also make your home more energy efficient, leading to lower energy bills all year round. This type of glass helps keep heated air inside when it’s cold out and cool air inside when it’s hot out. We offer high performance glass with energy efficient features, such as the following:

We also have patio door frames that are weather-tight and able to improve your home’s efficiency even more.

5. Sliding Doors Increase Aesthetic Appeal

If you’re concerned about how sliding glass doors would look on your home, keep in mind that you can choose doors that match its architectural style. We offer sliding patio doors in wood or vinyl, so you can easily find a style that complements the surrounding exterior.

6. Sliding Doors Are Easy To Maintain

One of the biggest advantages of sliding glass doors is that they’re low maintenance. Once these doors are installed on a track system, all you have to do is keep the glass clean. Our patio doors even come with maintenance-free frames for added convenience. These frames are resistant to sun damage, so you can count on them keeping their original appearance for years to come.

EarthWise and Advanced Windows

Advanced Window Products is Utah’s Sliding Glass Door Manufacturer

Whether you need a new patio door that gives you more room in your home or a door that gives you great views of the outdoors, sliding glass doors are the ideal solution. We are a locally owned and operated business, that offers 0% financing on our doors and installation services. We’re committed to protecting the environment, so you’ll find that we have a wide selection of eco-friendly products.

Contact Advanced Window Products for more information on our selection of patio doors, and to get a free online estimate for your home.

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How to Read Energy Efficient Window Labels

Older windows can let in drafts, leading to a significant increase in energy usage and higher utility bills throughout the year. Replacing these windows with energy efficient ones helps reduce energy bills, lowers your home’s carbon footprint and makes your home more comfortable during Salt Lake City’s cold winters and hot summers. In fact, energy efficient windows can lower your home’s energy bills by up to 15 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When you’re choosing replacement windows in Salt Lake City, it’s important to understand how to read energy efficient window labels, so you can select the best type for your home.

NFRC Label

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) conducts independent testing on windows and other glass products for residential buildings. Windows that are certified by the NFRC have a label on them, but this certification doesn’t necessarily indicate that they’re energy efficient. The NFRC label gives you information on the window’s energy performance, manufacturer, materials, model and style. Understanding this information can help you determine if the windows are efficient enough for the Salt Lake City area. When you look at an NFRC label, you’ll see the following ratings:

    • U-factor: This measures how effective windows are at stopping heat from escaping building interiors. U-factor ratings are usually between 0.20 and 1.20. Lower ratings indicate better efficiency at trapping heat inside, which helps keep homes warmer in winter. In the Salt Lake City area, this means looking for windows with U-factor ratings that are between 0.30 and 0.32.

Interpreting the NFRC label

  • Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC): This measures how effective windows are at blocking the sun’s heat from building interiors. These ratings are usually between 0 and 1. Lower SHGC ratings mean that windows are able to block more of the sun’s heat, which helps keep homes cooler in summer. However, keep in mind that lower SHGC ratings also mean your Salt Lake City home won’t get as much heat from the sun during the area’s cold winters. Look for windows with an SHGC rating between 0.35 and 0.40 for the best efficiency.
  • Visible Transmittance (VT): This measures the amount of light that comes through windows. These ratings are usually between 0 and 1. Higher VT ratings indicate more natural lighting during the day.
  • Air Leakage (AL): This measures the amount of outdoor air that enters building interiors through windows. These ratings are usually between 0.1 and 0.3. Lower AL ratings mean that windows are able to keep more air out. Keep in mind that this isn’t a required rating, so it won’t be on all NFRC-certified windows.
  • Condensation Resistance: This measures how effective windows are at resisting condensation, or a buildup of water. These ratings are usually between 0 and 100, with higher ratings indicating better resistance to condensation.

Energy Star Label

The EPA’s Energy Star program makes it easy for homeowners to determine how energy efficient certain products are in order to help them save money and protect the environment. All products that meet Energy Star criteria are required to have a label on them. Energy Star labels indicate that windows have met government requirements for energy efficiency. These products are in compliance with the Energy Star program’s standards if they meet the following requirements:

  • Manufactured by an Energy Star partner
  • Tested independently and certified by the NFRC
  • Received NFRC ratings that are in compliance with the Department of Energy’s guidelines on energy efficiency

ENERGY STAR® Climate zones for Windows, Doors, and Skylights

What You Need to Get the Tax Credit

Homeowners in the Salt Lake City area might be able to save money on energy efficient window installation by taking advantage of available tax credits and rebates. These provide homeowners with a way to recover some of the money spent on having these windows installed. In order to qualify for a tax credit, the windows you choose must have two NFRC ratings that are equal to or less than 0.3. If you’re not sure how to get a tax credit or rebate, Advanced Window Products can assist you with this, so you don’t miss out on cost savings.

Window Installation

Choosing energy efficient windows isn’t enough to ensure energy conservation if they end up being improperly installed. Poor installation can result in drafts and air leaks that lead to more energy usage. In order to make sure that your home will be conserving energy, it’s important to hire a reliable contractor to install and fully seal windows at the building envelope.

Contact Advanced Window Products for dependable window installation in the Salt Lake City area. We properly install windows, safely remove old windows, thoroughly clean up after installation and offer limited lifetime warranties. We’ll help you find the most efficient windows for your home and install them the right way, so you can enjoy a more comfortable home and higher cost savings.

Consumer guide to buying energy efficient windows Click the image to download our energy efficient window buying guide.

 

Guide: Adding a Sunroom to Your Utah Home

Adding a sunroom to your home is an attractive and economical way to expand your living space and add character and value to your home. Selecting a sunroom design that ties well into the style, flow, and structure of your home is the first step in making this exciting enhancement to your lifestyle. There is a vast variety of design options, from basic styles with simple windows to elaborate structures with full glass ceilings and walls. Understanding how various sunroom designs fit with your budget, desired room size, and planned use can help you narrow your focus to suitable options and make the ideal choice. Sunrooms are a very desirable addition to a home for numerous reasons.

Benefits of a Sunroom

  • Healthy lifestyle ­—Sunlight and relaxation are important for optimum health. A sunroom offers an ideal environment for both, while also providing protection from outdoor elements.
  • Increased property value —Typically, a homeowner who sells a home with a sunroom addition recovers most of, or more than, the initial expense in adding the sunroom. Additionally, the attraction of a sunroom can be a big bonus in terms of the overall salability of a home.
  • Expands living space —A sunroom takes in sunlight, providing an outdoor experience free from insects and weather hindrances. The versatility of the space permits a wide array of uses, including as an indoor patio, an additional family room, a breakfast nook, entertainment space, or as an indoor garden.
  • Green energy —It provides a green source of home heating, even without utilizing an artificial heat source. By capturing extra sunlight, the room serves as a heating source that is a winter bonus on cold Utah days.

Before purchasing a sunroom

To make sure that your sunroom selection will meet your needs, consider the extent to which you plan to use your sunroom, seasonally or year-round.

  • Seasonal sunrooms usually have only single-pane glass and often have screens, and usually don’t have central air-conditioning or heating. Sunrooms built for year-round use typically have an HVAC system and full weather protection.
  • Your planned extent of use should help determine your choices of window types (single, double or triple glass pane), window material (Low E, Argon filled, tempered glass, etc.), wall structure choices (vinyl, aluminum, wood), flooring (tile, wood, stone, or simulated stone or wood), and roof configuration (slanted, curved, straight), roof material (glass or a standard home roofing material), and appropriate exposure (eastern, western, southern, northern).

Building Permits

Building restrictions vary between municipalities. These projects require review of a site plan for compliance with land use requirements. Building height, front, side, and rear yards are all regulated based on the zone that they are in. The Planning Specialist can usually review and approve this unless you are requesting a variance from what is allowed in the zone. The plans examiner will be particularly interested in verifying that the existing building can handle the additional loads that may be imposed on it from the new addition as well as the other code items mentioned above that are ordinarily checked. Depending on your home’s location and the sunroom design and type of structure you want to construct, you may be required to obtain a building permit. Contact the planning and zoning department for your municipality to ensure that your construction plans comply with all current building codes.

Best placement of sunroom for desired uses

One popular spot for a sunroom is adjacent to the kitchen. The sunroom very often becomes the preferred breakfast and lunch area. Other common locations include expansion of the living room, family room, dining room, game room, or in close proximity to any gathering space.

Considerations in choosing sunroom location

It is important to make the right choice of direction for your sunroom to face in relationship to sunrise and sunset in Utah.  A good rule of thumb is to situate the sunroom so that it receives at least four hours of direct sunlight each day—so that it’s truly a “sunroom”. Decide on an appropriate exposure:

  • Eastern —provides sunshine in the morning. This is a frequent choice for people who want to use their sunrooms for growing plants.
  • Western —yields afternoon sun. This is sometimes preferred, depending on desired purposes for the space, and on times of day for most frequent use.
  • Northern —minimizes direct sun exposure throughout the year, or eliminates it (depending on design).
  • Southern —captures a bit of sun exposure throughout much of the day during the warm season.

What window structure to use

  • Vinyl —Vinyl window framing is the most popular material for the supports. It costs the least, requires minimal upkeep, and offers the best in overall strength and insulation.
  • Aluminum —By comparison, aluminum not a good insulator. It does not provide the quality of fit to afford optimum reduction of heat and cooling transfer that is provided by the vinyl alternatives.
  • Wood —Constant maintenance requirements make wood a labor intensive and expensive option for window materials.

Window Glass – helps control heating and cooling costs

  • LoE Glass —coated to reflect heat
  • Window glazing —seals to prevent air and water exposure and resultant cracking
  • Argon filled glass —sealed for energy-efficiency
  • Tempered glass —increased strength for optimum safety

Roofing Style

  • Flat —usually less expensive to install, reduces room volume and related heating and cooling costs
  • Slanted —adds a style element, adds space, improves air circulation, adds light due to additional glass panels that fill in the roof peaks

Optional climate control features

  • Ceiling fans —Circulate air, reduce need for or provide supplement to air-conditioning, reduce cooling costs
  • Window shades or blinds —Significantly reduces cooling loss and electricity costs
  • Heating and cooling units —Permit maximal comfort control

Additional features

  • Sunrooms used as plant conservatories sometimes have plumbing for water and tile or other flooring suitable for high moisture areas.
  • Those used as dining space should have power outlets for various uses, and perhaps even some storage for tableware.
  • For all-purpose sunrooms, furniture low in height is recommended, vs. taller pieces that block sunlight. A sound system adds a deluxe retreat quality to the space.
  • Adding features of interest, like a fireplace, waterfall, hot tub, etc. offer bonus to style and enjoyment. It’s essential to have such items safely installed by an experienced professional.
  • Furniture, curtains, artworks and other décor tie in the space functionally and stylistically with the rest of your home.

Sunroom Costs

Whether you’re planning a basic screened deck or a fully climate-controlled room constructed on a building foundation, your sunroom cost will depend on combined factors including your choices of design, materials, current labor rates, proximity to available tie-ins to power and plumbing sources, and any special issues in installation, among others.

Enjoy your new sunroom

Building your own sunroom using a kit or prefab template might be less expensive than having a professional installation, but requires skills. If instructions are not followed precisely, costly and hazardous consequences can emerge at any point during use of the structure. Complex designs should be executed by experienced professionals who are qualified to efficiently manage even very unique requirements. Using a professional sunroom contractor will also permit more flexibility to use creative combinations of materials that require appropriate integration between ceiling, walls, and flooring.

 

2015 Spring Savings and Benefits – Call Now!

Savings and Benefits of Advance Energy  Efficient Windows in Spring - Advanced Window Product

 

Why Energy Efficient Vinyl Windows Are The Only Way to Go

Energy Efficient Windows and Your Home

If your home’s windows were installed years ago, chances are they’re not energy efficient. This means you’re likely paying more on energy bills from having to run your furnace or air conditioner frequently. Older windows could also be costing you in terms of needing maintenance or repairs done. Keep in mind that your home value is also lower when you have drafty old windows instead of energy efficient ones. This might not affect you now, but it will when you decide to sell your home. You can change all of this by having energy efficient windows installed on your Salt Lake City home.

What Are Energy Efficient Windows?

Energy efficient windows are ones that are designed to keep heated air inside your home when it’s cold out and prevent heat from getting into your home during Utah’s hot summers. This leads to reduced energy bills and several other benefits. The best energy efficient windows are compliant with the Energy Star program, which holds these products to strict standards. In order to be considered compliant Energy Star windows, these products must meet the following criteria:

  • Be made by an Energy Star partner
  • Undergo independent testing and receive certification from the National Fenestration Rating Council
  • Receive NFRC ratings that meet the Department of Energy’s energy efficiency guidelines

what makes windows energy efficient energy star

Energy efficient windows have several features that allow them to block hot air from outside and trap hot air inside, including:

  • High-quality vinyl frames: These frames are often insulated and made from vinyl that holds up well to ultraviolet light exposure.
  • Multiple panes: Having more than one pane of glass provides higher energy savings and a number of other benefits.
  • Low-e glass: Low-emissivity coatings only allow very low amounts of heat to pass through windows. They also reflect a higher percentage of heat from outside, which keeps it from entering through the window.
  • Gas fills: This refers to inert gas between the window panes that helps block heat flow.
  • Warm edge spacers: These provide barriers in the frame, that protect against heat loss.

When choosing energy efficient replacement windows, you’ll need to consider performance criteria, which varies by geographical location. For our area, that means finding windows that are able to keep your home considerably warmer in winter.

Facts About Energy Efficient Windows

Energy efficient windows have a performance rating that indicates how well they perform in the following categories:

  • U-Factor: This indicates how much insulation the window provides based on the rate of heat transfer. Lower U-factors are associated with better insulation.
  • Solar Heat Gain coefficient: This indicates how effectively the window prevents the sun’s heat from entering your home. Lower SHGC rates are associated with lower levels of solar heat.
  • Visible transmittance: This indicates how much sunlight is able to come through the window. Higher VT rates mean better lighting.
  • Air leakage: This indicates how much air is able to get through the window joints. Lower AL values mean less air passes through.
  • Condensation resistance: This indicates how resistant the window is to moisture building up. Higher values mean less condensation.

Consumer guide to buying energy efficient windows Click the image to download our energy efficient window buying guide.

Benefits of Double Pane Energy Efficient Windows

Double pane energy efficient windows offer several advantages over single pane windows, including:

  • Higher savings and lower energy use: Having these windows installed means you don’t have to run your air conditioner or furnace as much, leading to lower utility bills throughout the year.
  • Improved comfort: These windows provide your home with a more comfortable air temperature all year round. In summer, they help keep cool air inside and hot air outside. During winter, they prevent drafts from outside and help trap heated air indoors.
  • Reduced condensation: Double pane windows have a lower risk of moisture buildup, which means there’s a lower risk of having mites or mold grow. If you or someone else in your home has a respiratory condition, reducing the risk of condensation with double pane windows can lead to fewer health problems.
  • Reduced fading: Sunlight can cause carpeting and upholstery to fade over time. With double pane windows, most of those damaging rays are blocked, leading to a lower risk of fading or discoloring.
  • Increased light and view: Double pane windows allow more light to pass through without also letting in more heat.

Window Replacement in Salt Lake City, Utah

Replacing windows is a major project that requires thorough knowledge on how to do it safely. Otherwise, you could end up damaging your home or running into problems again with drafts if your new windows aren’t properly installed. Instead of taking this risk, have our window installation professionals do it for you. When you hire Advanced Window Products to handle your energy efficient window installation, you’ll be getting the following benefits:

  • Safe window removal
  • Customized options for the design and manufacturing process of your new energy efficient windows
  • Proper window installation and finishing that includes applying insulating features and leveling to ensure that the frame fits securely
  • Thorough cleanup
  • Limited lifetime warranty
  • Assistance with receiving tax credits and rebates
  • Offers of no-interest financing