In addition to the NFRC and ENERGY STAR labels as well as weighing the cost and warranties, there are other factors to consider when choosing the right windows for your home. These factors include water infiltration, structural performance, acoustical performance and security performance. Here we provide an overview of these key window features:
Water Infiltration – Water infiltration measures the amount of water and pressure that a window can prevent from leaking into your home. It is better to choose a window replacements with a higher water infiltration rating as it provide better resistance to water leakage, especially for homes that experience a heavy and windy rains.
Structural Performance – Structural performance measures the amount of air pressure that a window can withstand before shattering. It is better to choose window replacements with a higher structural performance rating as it is more stronger in resisting wind loads, especially for homes that experience hurricanes and tornados.
Acoustical Performance – Acoustical performance measures the amount of sound saturation through a window. It is better to choose window replacements with a higher acoustical performance rating as it provide better barrier from letting outside noise come into your home.
Security Performance – Security performance measures the window’s strength and ability to withstand varying degree of forces including burglar-resistance windows, fire-resistance windows, bullet-resistance windows, wind-borne resistance windows, debris-resistance windows and many others.
By: Paul Doh