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ENERGY STAR® Windows

 The Department of Energy (DOE) and the environment Protection Agency (EPA) have developed an Energy Star® designation for products meeting certain energy performance criteria.

Since energy efficient performance of windows, doors, and skylights varies by climate, product recommendations are given for three U.S. climate zones.  For making comparisons among Energy Star® products, use the NFRC Label or the NFRC Certified Products Directory.

About NFRC

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is a non-profit organization created by the window, door, and skylight industry.  It consists of representatives from fenestration product manufacturers, major trade organizations, state energy officials, research organizations, utilities, specifiers, testing laboratories, energy consultants, public interest groups, representatives from the building and code industries, and government agencies. 

Its mission is to establish and maintain a fair, accurate, and reliable energy performance rating and labeling system for windows, doors, and skylights.

The NFRC label provides the only reliable way to determine the window energy properties and to compare products.  The NFRC label appears on all products certified to the NFRC standards and on all window, door, and skylight products which are part of the Energy Star program.  At this time, NFRC labels on window units give ratings for U-Factor, Solar heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), Visible Light Transmittance (VT), and Air Leakage (AL).

Product Certification for Homeowners

The AAMA Certification Label on a product tells customers that a sample of that product has been verified as conforming to the requirements of AAMA's standards through independent laboratory testing and follow-up onsite inspection of the manufacture's production line.  Products must bear the AAMA Certification Label to be certified by the manufacture in this program.  By placing an AAMA certification label on a product, the manufacturer certifies that the labeled product meets the requirements for certification.

The AAMA Certification Label that appears on the majority of residential windows means that a sample of the product was tested and conforms to performance standards for air and water infiltration at the specified pressures, structural integrity, and resistance to forced entry. Manufacturers who use the AAMA label have agreed to two unannounced plant inspections each year to verify that production units match the tested sample. In addition, the label means that samples of major component parts of the window or door assembly have been tested and comply with the applicable performance standards.

Homeowners can be confident that products bearing the AAMA Gold Label conforms to accepted performance standards and that each one is built like the sample that was tested.

Choosing The Right Glass Option

A new standard

Cardinal introduces LoĒ³-366 (pronounced low E cubed-366), the ultimate performance glass. It just might make all other low-E glasses obsolete. LoĒ³-366 delivers the ideal balance of solar control and high visibility. And it provides the highest levels of year-round comfort and energy savings, making it the perfect glass no matter where you live. The secret? An unprecedented triple layer of silver. This is beyond ordinary low-E glass; LoĒ³-366 sets the new standard.

Low-E times three makes the difference

Cardinal has for years worked with top-tier window manufacturers by providing energy-efficient LoĒ² glass. Now with three layers of year-round thermal protection, the benefits are exceptional.

The result: a clear coating that blocks even more solar gain than ever before, reflects heat and lets the light stream in. Notice the difference below between clear glass, regular low-E glass and new LoĒ³-366.

ARGON is a Safe, Colorless, Odorless, Non-Toxic, Inert Atmospheric Gas.

Argon has been used in Europe since the early 1970's.  It enhances the energy efficiency of windows using insulated glass.  Maximum benefit is achieved only when used in conjunction with Low-E (low emissivity) glass.  Argon dramatically improves a window's insulating ability, with a U-Factor 50% better than clear insulated glass and 13% better than insulated glass with Low-E only.  Argon improves a window's CRE, or Condensation Resistance Factor, resulting in a warmer inside glass surface and reduced potential for condensation.  Argon filled glass units also reduce sound transmission by three to four decibels, when compared to a comparable unit without Argon fill.

What is Warm Edge Technology?

Today more than ever, homeowners are replacing their old worn out windows with energy efficient replacement windows. Poorly insulated windows can attribute to 25 percent of a building's heating and cooling loads. As a homeowner, it is just as important to know what type of window spacer material is being used on the insulating glass unit as it is to know what type of glass package (or glazing) is going into the window. The type of spacer material in your windows can make or break your investment!

In order to overcome the thermal inefficiency of conventional aluminum window spacers, a new type of spacer product called warm-edge technology has evolved in the window industry. Warm Edge refers to the type of spacer material used to separate the panes of glass (or glazing) in an insulated window unit. If the material conducts less heat or cold than a conventional aluminum spacer at the edge of the glass, it is said to be 'warm-edge.' Most of these newer window spacers are less conductive and outperform pure aluminum. But there's still one small problem -- they all contain some kind of metal. And metal is highly conductive.

20% of glass area is affected by cold edge

Why is this so important?

Super Spacer's durability means that your windows will remain thermally-efficient and condensation-free for many years to come.

Condensation occurs first around the window's edge - where the glass insulates least effectively and where surface temperatures are the coldest. If a standard "cold edge" spacer exists and outside temperatures fall to 0°F/-17.78°C, condensation will form on the glass edge even in homes with as little as 15% relative humidity.

The solution to condensation formation on glass is to increase the thermal efficiency of the edge of the glass: the window's weak link. Substitute Super Spacer a superior warm edge spacer and the inside humidity can go as high as 50% before condensation forms on the glass. The problem is virtually eliminated.

Super Spacer
Flexibility Saves
Your Glass From
Breakage

The Durability Test

Super Spacers keep your glass edge up to 70% warmer then metal spacers.