When it comes to finding the culprit behind varying temperatures in your home, National Resources Canada cites windows and doors as the most common sources of heat loss. Drafts created by ineffective weather sealing paired with the heat loss associated with the glass elements of windows and doors can be a major factor in how warm or cold your home is and, subsequently, how much you’ll spend on heating or cooling.
If possible, the purchase of new windows and doors will dramatically reduce drafts, outside noises and heating bills. They are built using contemporary means and products and have superior insulating qualities.
Energy Star is an independently tested and Certified Energy Performance company. Most window and door companies now producenothing but Energy Star rated products.
Read our article that describes the many benefits to new windows and doors ’10 Reasons you Should Consider Replacing all Your Windows at Once’
There are several parts of a door, all of which can be reinforced to protect the insulation of your home. Drafts often originate around all the doorframe; the door jambs down the vertical sides, the sill and the sweep that run horizontally across the bottom and the header that runs horizontally across the top.
These parts experience the heaviest wear with the door’s opening and closing motions and are vulnerable to physical damage from:
The insulation efficiency of the door depends on the construction of the door internally and externally to prevent the door’s future warping or seams separation. The higher the quality of the door, the stronger it is constructed and the higher quality materials are used.
There are a number of lock systems applied to a door’s manufacture: a multi point lock system has three locking points applied along the edge of a door that pull it tightly to the frame. The door has its highest ability to insulate if manufactured with a three point lock system.
The exterior of the door is clad in one of a few various materials; fibreglass, steel, and wood:
Read our article to learn more about the parts to your door ‘Keep it Shut – The Most Energy Efficient Door Materials’
The glass used for the panel sections and sidelites can be applied to the door in two different ways: choosing the method of flush glazing gives the door more insulative properties; the glass is built into the door at the same time the panels are built.
Depending on the manufacturing quality of a door’s interior, the overall insulating quality can be more or less than it could be.
If you are considering replacing your windows, read our article ‘Is Replacing Windows Worth it?’
Limiting energy loss through your windows may be one of the most cost-efficient ways to approach improving the heating and cooling efficiency of your home.
The insulation qualities of windows is made better by the way the window operates: Like doors, windows have frames, jambs, sills, and glass. How a window operates, specifically how the window meets the jamb and frame when it’s closed can prevent future air loss.
You’ll have to weigh the aesthetics and functionability to its operation.
Different kinds of glass have varied insulation qualities; A very thin, low-emissivity (low E) coating containing metallics can be applied to the outside glass and reflects the sun’s heat away from the surface, keeping the cold air out ofyour home.
All new windows are either double or triple glazed (having double or triple layers of glass) They are sealed allowing space between the panes that is filled with pressurized gas.
