UFactorProU-factor, SHGC and what your climate zone actually requires.

UFactorPro

U-factor, SHGC and what your climate zone actually requires.

SectionsLatest
U-Factor & SHGCWhat the NFRC label means, and which number matters in your zone.36
Sizes & CountsStandard sizes, rough openings, and counting a house properly.4
Vinyl, Fiberglass & WoodFrame material against lifespan, and where each one fails.5
Full Frame vs InsertThe choice that changes both the price and what gets fixed.4
CostPer window, per house, and by material.1906
  1. Replacing Windows in Phases — Which Ones Go FirstCost · 4 min read

    Contractors price whole-house jobs because they are efficient to run. For the homeowner, three or four windows a year is usually the better trade.

  2. ENERGY STAR Window Requirements — The Version 7.0 Numbers by ZoneU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    Four zones, two numbers each, and the Northern zone now has a floor as well as a ceiling. Windows that qualified in 2022 frequently do not qualify now.

  3. What Is a Good U-Factor for Windows? — And Where It Stops MatteringU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    Going from 0.50 to 0.30 is a large improvement. Going from 0.25 to 0.20 is a small one that costs more than the first step did.

  4. SHGC — Why the South Wants It Low and the North Wants It HighU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    The same coating that saves money in Houston costs money in Minneapolis. SHGC is the only window number where the right answer flips with latitude.

  5. Reading the NFRC Label — Five Numbers, and Two of Them Get IgnoredU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    Everyone reads the first two numbers. Air leakage is the one that explains why a new window still feels draughty.

  6. Is Triple Pane Worth It? — Latitude Decides, Not MarketingU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    The energy case for triple glazing is weak almost everywhere. The comfort and noise case is stronger, and it is the honest reason to buy it.

  7. Low-E Coatings — Soft Coat, Hard Coat, and How Many Silver LayersU-Factor & SHGC · 3 min read

    The pane count gets the attention and the coating does the work. Two double-pane windows with different coatings can differ more than a double differs from a triple.

  8. Argon and Krypton Fill — What It Buys and How Much Leaks OutU-Factor & SHGC · 4 min read

    The gas is the cheapest performance in the whole window. What it is not is permanent, and the gap width matters more than the gas.

  9. Vinyl or Fiberglass — The Difference Is Thermal ExpansionVinyl, Fiberglass & Wood · 3 min read

    Both insulate about equally. What separates them is what happens across twenty years of hot afternoons and cold nights.

  10. Full Frame or Insert — What You Give Up With EachFull Frame vs Insert · 4 min read

    The insert is cheaper and keeps your trim. It also seals the existing frame permanently inside the wall, including anything wrong with it.

  11. How to Measure for Replacement Windows — Three Measurements, Smallest WinsSizes & Counts · 3 min read

    Nine measurements per window, and only two of them get ordered. The other seven are what stop a window arriving that will not go in.

  12. Egress Window Requirements — Four Numbers That All Have to PassSizes & Counts · 3 min read

    Replacing a window in a bedroom can quietly make it illegal, because an insert shrinks the opening and the code measures the opening.

  13. What a Window Quote Should Actually Say — Eight LinesCost · 3 min read

    Three quotes that differ by forty percent usually differ because they are for three different jobs, and the paperwork does not say so.

Window replacement cost by city

1,494 calculations · Cost · browse all

Window replacement cost by state

408 calculations · Cost · browse all

Window U-factor by zone and glazing

28 calculations · U-Factor & SHGC · browse all