ENERGY STAR qualified products can help consumers increase their home’s energy efficiency while also enhancing home value and complementing personal style and decor. The energy star symbol indicates that a product meets or exceeds high efficiency standards for energy performance. The familiar symbol makes it easy to identify the best energy performers in the market.
To achieve maximum energy savings and pollution reduction, the ENERGY STAR program recommends keeping a few things in mind when shopping for windows.
Performance is based on the following factors:
- U-factor: The rate of heat transfer either from your home or the outside through your window. A lower U-factor means less heat is transferred.
- Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC): How much heat your house gains from the sun. A lower SHGC results in less heat gain from the sun.
- Windows are tailored to fit the energy needs of the country’s four main climate regions: Northern, North/Central, South/Central, and Southern.
- All ENERGY STAR qualified windows should also bear label performance ratings by product for Heat Gain Coefficient, and Visible Transmittance.
