Competition for Window World

Apparently another company is trying to compete head-to-head against Window World:
Denver Post Ad for Clear Choice

Careful, service companies like this always try to upsell you on anything they can. Stick to your guns if price is the most important thing to you.

In order to get windows that qualify for the Energy Star rebate, expect to pay significantly more than the $185 shown in this ad. Even if that eats up the whole rebate, remember you should save money every month because you will have a better window that loses less heat.

Window Retrofit Redux

In this post, I'm speaking as a home rehabber only. The window solution for the actual homeowner who lives in their home could be different.

I fix homes to resell. The windows must look really good and work perfectly. Thermal performance isn't that important, but most buyers will pay a little more for double glazed windows. If there are some windows that don't open and close, the home inspector will find it. Then the buyer will probably ask you to fix it, or at least give a credit of about $200 per window.

The homes I fix average about 70 years old. They either have the original wood windows or vinyl replacement windows. 90% of the original wood single hung windows work BADLY. If the vinyl windows are over 10 years old, yes, there is some maintenance and parts replacement required. This work costs about $50 per window.

The rehabilitation of the original wood window with about 10 layers of paint on it will cost about $200, and it won't be as tight as a new vinyl window. It will also still be a single glazed non low-e window that tends to cause some thermal comfort problems in that room.

You can add storms to the inside or outside, but 90% of those are lost or inoperable after 20 years. With thoughtless tenants, this can drop to one year. Cost is irrelevant here, because they don't hold up long term.

I have tried all these different scenarios, and new windows are really the only option. When the home is to be resold, it unfortunately turns out that the cheapest window is the most cost-effective. Consumer education may eventually change this. In some munincipalities, the home must be updated to the new energy code whenever it changes hands. That also solves the problem but adds the other problem of forcing the new price of the house to be much higher, or cause the rehabber's margin to be slimmer. Too much government meddling, IMO.

I was particularly disappointed in the wood window restoration route. Yes, the windows worked again, but they still looked BAD. They were simply too far gone for restoration, and that's the case in 80% of the homes I rehab.

In summary, the window must operate, the payback period is irrelevant. $250 each for new windows is worth it, but I don't spend more than that on my rehabs since it would be wasted.

In the Denver area, another great company for replacements is Gravina. They offer a triple pane window that won't break the bank.

Buying New and Retrofit Windows in Denver

You really only need to know two words on this topic: Window World

Call and ask any company how much they charge for installed windows, they'll say, "let us send out someone to measure, and we'll give you a quote". Fair enough, but you've just committed to one hour with some likeable guy who doesn't value your time that much.

With Window World, just count your windows, then multiply by $250. That's awesome. Of course, they have some options, some of which you need in order to receive the 30% federal rebate. Note that they don't even care about the size. Some windows are bigger, and some smaller, they figure.

As good as they are, you may find confusion when it comes to that all important SHGC number I keep harping on. (Some other guys have started major harping as well )

It just doesn't matter that much. You need some affordable windows NOW that actually go up and down and close tightly. Your south windows are shaded by your neighbor's trees anyway.

So I say go with whatever you can afford.

Solar Cats and Passive Solar Energy Collection

Did you ever wonder what the surface temperature is of your solar kitty?

As you can see, Natasha runs about 112F on a clear, cold winter day in Denver. Note: she is laying in front of a window with an SHGC (solar heat gain coefficient)of 0.56. That's far higher than the average low E window which has an SHGC of about .32. What's that mean to a cat? About 15F. A black surface in front of a conventional low E window under the same conditions is around 97F. Still warm, but that's a significant penalty for not specifying the right windows.

Hurd "hard coat low E" windows from Rocky Mountain Solar Glass has been the only local solution I have found for passive solar. Serious Windows (formerly Alpen) should also be able to supply a high SHGC low E window. Most other window suppliers and manufacturers have no clue about this issue.

Increased solar gain in the summer isn't a concern, because these are south facing windows. In the summer, the sun is high in the sky, and the window is completely shaded by the properly designed overhangs. Even the Energy Star program is silent on this, although their energy modeling computer programs do give credit for high SHGC windows on the south side.