Over recent years, homeowners are more concerned with energy efficiency in their homes than ever before. They want to keep rising heating and cooling costs as low as possible and inefficient windows, doors, and other items can make those bills rise faster than necessary. While there are several ways to increase efficiency, getting replacement windows in Rockwall, TX is one of the biggest ways with the highest return on your investment. Deciding to upgrade windows isn’t an easy decision. You’ll have to shop around and look at Energy Star ratings, U—values, Solar heat gain coefficients and much more. If you aren’t sure where to start, think about the overall R—value of your home and go from there.
What Is R—Value?
The R—value of your home is the thermal resistance of the house against heat flow. You don’t want heat flowing out of your home when it’s cold outside and you don’t want heat coming in with it’s hot out. If your home has a good R—value on it, that won’t happen. If you lack in that area, you will have a lot of energy leaking from your house.
A home’s R—value is determined by a number of different insulating factors. The insulation you have in your attic, for example, will help the overall R—value of your home. If you have good siding and heavy—duty doors on the home, the R—value will be better as well. The windows can also make or break your R—value. All of the insulating properties in your house work together to make up the complete R—value. Many of those items will have individual R—values themselves and if you are in the market for replacement windows, you will want to pay close attention to that rating.
Window R—Values
The R—value on the windows you choose play a huge role in the efficiency you’ll get. Air will naturally escape through the windows in some way or another, but how much? You want it to be as minimal as possible. When too much air escapes, your HVAC system has to work much harder to get your home to the optimal temperature and keep it there. That will translate into higher energy bills overall. If you see a window with an R—value of 5, it’s twice as effective as a window with an R—value of 3.3. The higher the R—value, the better the insulation and efficiency on that window.
If you need help choosing windows with the best R—values for your home, contact the experts at Foster Exteriors Window Company by calling (214) 319—8400. We’ve worked with Rockwall, TX replacement windows for decades and we know just what to suggest to meet your home’s needs. Stop by and see the samples of replacement windows we offer in our showroom at 1350 N Buckner Blvd #216 Dallas, TX 75218. We want your home to be insulated, warm in the winter, and cool in the summer with the lowest energy bills possible all at once. We can help you reach those goals with your replacement windows.